Montana Trail

Immigrants

Before the trail, Montana was cut off from the rest of the country. Salt Lake City, the only major city between Denver and the Pacific Coast, became a vital supply hub. The Montana Trail, a shorter route than the Oregon and California Trails, met both at Fort Hall. Unlike most trails running east to west, this one went north to south, carrying goods from Salt Lake into Montana by pack train.

It cut through eastern Idaho, crossed the Continental Divide at Monida Pass, and pushed northeast to Fort Benton, winding through Utah, Idaho, and Montana over mountains, streams, and valleys. Travel peaked in midsummer, when low water stranded steamships on the Missouri River. Mountain men and traders first explored the area in the 1840s, developing it over the next two decades. Miners, traders, and settlers used the road heavily in the 1870s, but it faded in the 1880s.

Gold found on Grasshopper Creek in July 1862 yielded $5 million and sparked wild tales—people claimed you could yank up a sagebrush, shake the roots, and get a panful of gold. Immigrants reached Montana by wagon, horseback, or foot, or by steamboat to Fort Benton during high water, then switched to stagecoaches or wagons. Overland travel was cheaper but harder, relying on pack trains, mule trains, and oxen.

Interactions with natives

Overland roads followed pathways Indians had used for thousands of years. Troubles and raids by the Northern Shoshoni slowed traffic in 1862, and the US army established forts to protect pioneers.

The Sioux were also especially brutal to pioneers. In the summer and fall of 1878, settlers and freighters feared continued troubles; the worst incident involved Bannock Indians along the Lost River, who killed the leader of a freight train, five oxen, and three horses. Other incidents included burning haystacks, letting stock loose, and terrorizing settlers.

Freighting and trading

The trail was a main supply route for gold camps, creating a lucrative trading network in spring and summer and fierce competition among entrepreneurs. Benjamin Holladay, a stagecoach magnate, lowered freight rates to drive out competition, then raised them. He gained a government subsidy to carry mail and later sold his company to Wells, Fargo & Company, which provided goods, carried passengers, and delivered mail until the Union Central and Pacific Railroad Lines arrived.

Mail transport provided most profit, making wagon leaders care more about mail than passengers, though passengers paid around $150. Stagecoach companies also carried mail and transported people. Bandits, bad weather, and accidents did not stop the flow of goods during the eight months the trail was open; only blizzards stopped it when snow covered Monida Pass. Freighting was a main use in the 1860s and 1870s.

Freight companies used the Missouri River and pack animals. Typical pack trains had 8–12 mules or oxen pulling three wagons weighing about 12,000 pounds. In April and May, mild weather and growing grass allowed long pack trains to begin northward journeys. Mule skinners rode the left-wheel mule and controlled the lead mule; bullwhackers walked alongside, cracking whips and yelling "Gee!" and "Haw!" They were respected for their skill but known as heavy drinkers and profane speakers.

Demise of the trail

The Utah and Northern Railway, introduced by the Union Pacific, forced ox teams and pack trains to compete due to differences in time and cost. Wagon freighters had to negotiate new fares. Farmers flocked to construction sites with teams to help build rails, earning up to $2.50 a day. The Union Pacific contracted with local businesses for freighting on the railway, and businesses struggled to find wagon teams because prices dropped to as low as $.04 per 100 pounds by June 1878.

Wagon teams declined slowly due to the rapid increase in train use. By 1879, most people traveled to Montana by train via the Union Pacific.

Those unable to afford first- or second-class tickets were told to buy a ticket to Omaha or Lowell and continue by teamster or ox and wagon, but many wagons were too full to take them all the way. Railways shortened the trail by over 70 miles and created a less dangerous route, though stagecoaches remained in business due to railway expense. The trail declined over time but retains a significant place in Montana history.