08/25/2026
2026 Mullan Road Conference in Helena
The Mullan Road Conference will be held in Helena over Labor Day weekend, September 4-6, 2026. The conference focuses on the historic Mullan military wagon road through the greater Helena area, its history, its stories, and the exploration of its impact on the American West. Semi-annual gatherings share research, foster dialogue, and tour the physical remnants of the road that shaped the expansion of the Northwest.
The 624-mile Mullan Road, built between 1859 and 1862, connected the head of Missouri River navigation at Fort Benton in what soon became Montana Territory to the Columbia River at Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory. Its construction was directed by military engineer Lt. John Mullan, who had also been part of the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey Expedition of 1853-54.
The military wagon road was a monumental feat of 19th-century engineering, carved through some of the continent's most challenging mountainous terrain, but it also created challenges for the Indigenous people who lived along the route. As the number and variety of travelers increased, so did tensions and at times, conflict.
The conference features a number of notable historians:
Dr. J. William T. Youngs — The Mullan Road: an Introduction
Professor of History, Eastern Washington University—Cheney, WA
Holly Claypool — Creating an On-Line Interactive Map of the Mullan Road, Research assistant and GIS Technician, Eastern Washington University—Cheney, WA
Kenneth Robison — Crossing the Rockies in ‘61 on the Mullan Road
Historian, Author, Montana Heritage Keeper—Great Falls and Fort Benton, MT
Connie Constan — The Benton Lake Mullan Road Segment from an Archaeological Perspective, Executive Director, The History Museum & Research Center—Great Falls, MT
Jon Axline — A Tale of Three Mountain Passes, Historian/Cultural Resources Specialist, Environmental Services Bureau, Montana Department of Transportation—Helena MT
Brenda Wahler— John Mullan's Swan Song: The Last Spike of the Northern Pacific, Author and Attorney—Helena, MT
Jake Rehm — The Colville–Walla Walla Military Road—A Major Inland Northwest Thoroughfare, Full Lecturer, Eastern Washington University—Cheney, WA
BANQUET KEYNOTE — Dr. J. William T. Youngs — 'Ships of the Desert'—and of the Mountains: Camels on the Mullan Road and Throughout the Frontier West
Conference highlights include Friday, September 4, evening reception at the Lewis and Clark County Historical Society Museum
Saturday September 5, conference and banquet at the Montana Historical Society's NEW Heritage Center
Sunday, September 6, Mullan Road Tour - North Helena Valley to Sieben Ranch
Registration for the conference is only $110 and includes the Friday reception; Saturday breakfast, lunch and banquet; and Sunday bus tour with box lunch in addition to the great speakers. Please register by August 28, 2026 at https://mullanroadconference.wixsite.com/mullanroad.
A special thank you to our fiscal sponsor: Preserve Montana; our event sponsors: The Foundation for Montana History and the Montana Historical Society; and our generous donors: Ken Robison and Dr. Bill Youngs. See you on the Mullan Road!
