History

Native tales, historic trails, gold miners and railroaders, ancient floods and wildfires that changed our landscapes and our culture-- Mineral County's history is nothing if it ain't colorful. Below we give you just a taste. For more information, visit our museums, or some of the sites listed on our Links Page.

Historic Trails -
Built as a military road in 1859-60, Montana's first highway--the Mullan Road--followed an ancient Native American trail and linked Fort Benton (MT) with Walla Walla (WA). Today a portion near Alberton, along the Clark Fork River and I-90, is open to hikers and bicycle traffic. The County also boasts part of the Hiawatha Trail. Built along the Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way, it's a popular biking/ hiking route (with tunnel) west of St. Regis.

The Gold Rush -
Numerous boomtowns sprung up in Mineral County in the late 1860s, when gold was discovered on Cedar Creek, just south of Superior. Just as quickly, most of those towns died when the ore began to pan out.

The Locomotion -
The nation's first transcontinental railroad, the Northern Pacific, entered Mineral County in the 1890s. The first partially electrified railway, the Milwaukee, Pacific & St. Paul arrived in 1907. Both railways opened the area to growth and economic opportunity that continues today.

The Lumberjack -
Mineral County's first large lumber mill was built on a river peninsula north of St. Regis in 1897, beginning the lumberjack era. Timber remains an important part of the culture and the economy.