The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass

by Dale W. Jones

Overview

Montana's Marias Pass is the lowest rail crossing through the Rocky Mountains. The tracks snake through narrow canyons, traverse the swift Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and twist through numerous snowsheds and tunnels to crest the 5,213-foot Continental Divide. James Jerome Hill was the driving force behind Great Northern Railway's mission to find the most economical route to the Pacific coast, with surveyor John F. Stevens taking a major role in locating the pass. Browning is the eastern gateway into Marias Pass as the railroad approaches the Rocky Mountain Front; continuing west from Summit, the tracks parallel Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River downgrade through Essex to Glacier National Park and into the Flathead Valley.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467125192
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/05/2017
Series:	Images of Rail
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,049,642
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dale W. Jones has spent many years in Essex and the Flathead Valley area documenting railroad operations and photographing trains throughout the pass. This narrative is complete with vintage newspaper accounts and historical photographs from local residents that provide insight into the day-by-day operations of the mountain railroad called Marias Pass.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Beginnings: History of Marias Pass 11

2 The Pass: A Photographic Collection from Whitefish to Glacier Park 21

3 Glacier National Park: Great Northern Railway's Connection 31

4 The Middle Fork: Views up the Middle Fork of the Flathead River 45

5 Essex: Operations Headquarters for Marias Pass 59

6 Snowsheds: Protecting the Railroad in Winter 71

7 Summit: Top of the Continental Divide 87

8 Winter: The Challenge of Fighting Snow 101

9 The 1964 Flood: Marias Pass Disaster 109

10 Then and Now: Changes through the Years 115