Nostalgia & History > MILW via Rogers Pass and Sandpoint

Did the engineers that chartered and built the Milwaukee ever consider taking a different routing between Harlowton, MT and Lind, WA via Rogers Pass, Sandpoint, Spokane then joining their line to Seattle? The track would have proceeded northwest over Rogers Pass at an elevation of 5,610', then along the Blackfoot River to the Clark Fork River following that to Sandpoint, and from there paralleling the NP and the SI railroads to Spokane and finally joining their own line at Lind. This would have saved going over both Pipestone and St. Paul passes along with all of the curves and high bridges west of the continental divide. Was a routing ever considered and why did the MILW want to build over two high mountain passes when they could have only needed one?

I think you mean Crowsnest Pass? Rogers Pass would be WAY out of route.

The plan was to connect with the branch building east from Bonner, MT and through Clearwater Jct. This would allow grain from northern Montana a more direct routing to Tacoma for export.

There was a line surveyed north of Clearwater Jct up the Seely Swan valley crossing the GN at Coram thence following the North Fork of the Flathead River along the west side of Glacier National Park into Canada an a CP connection.

Sandpoint along the Clark Fork River from Paradise is flanked by steep mountains on both sides of the river with NP tracks occupying both sides of the valley depending upon the river course and topography. This would be a prohibitively expensive build for another railroad.


Avoiding Butte and it's mining revenues was never considered. The Anaconda Copper Company and the Milwaukee Railroad were both Rockefeller companies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/18 19:29 by fbe.

The railroad pass would have been Cadotte Pass a short distance north of the highway.

Additionally the St Paul Pass line was intended to be a temporary crossing of the pass. The Bryson loop on the east side was lined up with the Adair loop on the west side. A tunnel would be drilled to connect these loops with a straight, nearly flat line which would eliminate the steepest grades and deepest snow areas. No tunnel the length of this tunnel had yet been built and the MILW was hesitant to be the Guinea pig in this. Once the Cascade tunnel and the Flathead tunnels were completed to show it was possible the MILW financial situation precluded construction.