Monida Pass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monida Pass | |
|---|---|
 Beaver Canyon |
|
| Elevation | 6,820 feet (2,079 m) |
| Location | Idaho/Montana,  United States |
| Range | Rocky Mountains |
| Coordinates | |
| Traversed by |  Interstate 15[1] |
Monida Pass (el. 6,820 feet (2,079 m)) is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains that divides the Beaverhead Range and the Centennial Range. Its name is derived from those of the states it separates, Montana and Idaho.[2]
The pass forms part of the border between southeastern Idaho and Montana and is between the towns of Lima, Montana, and Spencer, Idaho. Clark County, Idaho, and Beaverhead County, Montana, border each other on the pass. On the Idaho side is Beaver Creek running through Beaver Canyon, Idaho, which was the route of the Utah and Northern Railway in 1880 and is still used by Union Pacific Railroad.[3]
Union Pacific once had an icemaking plant at Humphrey, Idaho, which is now a ghost town; Monida, Montana, which is near the top of the pass, is also almost a ghost town.
In the late 1800s stagecoaches ferried tourists from the railroad at Monida Pass to Yellowstone Park, until UP bult a branch line to the park. Interstate 15, "Veterans memorial highway," starts at the Montana-Idaho border at Monida Pass and runs to the international boundary with Canada at Sweetgrass.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ US-Highways.com - Montana Interstates. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ^ UltimateMontana.com. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ Idaho Museum of Natural History - Digital Atlas of Idaho - Rocks, Rails & Trails - Part 3, History of Eastern Idaho - "The Gold Road & the Coming of the Railroads," Page 54. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ^ Montana Code Annotated 2005 - 60-1-203. Veterans memorial highway. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- Ferrel, Hauck, Myers (1981). Colorado Rail Annual No. 15. the Colorado Railroad Museum. US 0-918654-15-7.
- Idaho: A Climbing Guide - 76. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- USDA Forest Service - Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest - Cultural Resources - Historic Period. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- Idaho Museum of Natural History - Digital Atlas of Idaho - "A Brief Introduction to Idaho." Retrieved 4 March 2007.
