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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRouse Railroad 2006 -A* MONTANA CULTURAL RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM FORM Form No. 1: Locational Information - 1.1 Smithsonian Number: 1.2 Field Designation: 1.3 County: z14A o 9� --------MDT -- I-- ................Gallatin ----------- 1.4--Township/Range/Section: T1S R5E; SE1/4NE1/4 Section 17 (Linear feature within project area, see attachment for legal description of entire feature in Gallatin County) _ ---------- 1.5 -UTM Coordinates_ Zone 12 Easting489640Northing 5066380----^--- ------------- -- _- - - ----------------------- 1.6 Property Type/Types: Private _ _ _ _ --------_---------------------------- 1.7 Recording status: ^X_surface examination X_photo _X map tested Comments and recommendations: -------------------- ---------- ---------------------------------------------- 1.8 Administrative/surface ownership: Private (Forest/Region/District/Office) -----_------- --------------- 1.9 Mineral Ownership: Private 1.10 Project Name: STPHS205st of Belgrade 1(15)2 Project Number: 3 , Control Number 2444 ---- ------ . miles lo-.-- ----------------------------------- The site consists of an active r ------------------- 11 General Narrative Description of ail road which runs through the project area. The project area lies in the relatively flat Gallatin Valley east of Bozeman, however the railroad is a long, linear feature which runs through the entire state of Montana. Within the project area this railroad lies between Interstate 90 and the old highway. The expansive Gallatin valley in the project area is incised by several small creeks which issue from north the surrounding mountains. One of these creeks, Hy alite through the project area. The valley floor consists of Quaternary alluvium which is overlain by more recent stream deposits. The valley is dominated by agricultural lands with limited riparian areas along streams, rivers and ditches. __ _------------------------------------------------- 1.12-Map-Reference- (Attach 8 1/2 x 11" USGS Photocopy) : Belgrade 7 .5' USGS Quad map (for project area) . In Gallatin County the railroad occurs on Bozeman Pass, Kelly Creek, Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan, and Logan 7. 5' quad maps. _ _ _ ____-- _ _ _ ____________ ___-_ _______ ---- -"- 113 Vicinity of (city/town) : Belgrade-for project area In Gallatin County the feature extends from the county line east of Bozeman Pass to the county line on the Missouri River north of Logan. --_--_------- -------------------------------------------------------------- 1.14 Narrative of access: The site (railroad) for the most part parallels Interstate I-90 through allatin County. Zn the project area the site occurs along the south side-of AsAstate Secondary Highway 205, (old U.S. 10) about 2 miles east of Belgrade. v ' MONTANA CULTURAL RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM FORM Form No: 2: Environmental Setting Site No. MDT - 1 ----------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 Geographic Setting: within the project area the site occurs in the Gallatin Valley west of Bozeman. The Bridger Range rises to the north, the Gallatin Range to the east, and the Madison Range to the south. The northwest flowing East Fork of the Gallatin River lies approximately four miles to the north of the project area. The main stem of the Gallatin River lies approximately eight miles west of the project area and flows northerly. Hyalite Creek flows northerly through the project area. The railroad runs northwesterly through the northern portion of Gallatin County. It enters Gallatin County just east of Bozeman Pass, ascends the pass and begins its westerly descent along tributaries of Rocky Creek before entering the canyon of that creek. The railroad passes through the Rocky Creek Valley to Bozeman. From Bozeman it trends northwesterly generally following the East Gallatin and Gallatin Rivers to Logan, where it turns to the north and exits the county along the Missouri River. -------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 Elevation: 4480' (project area) 3 -View/aspect-(estimated direction and distance) : 46' 360 degrees, approx. three miles 2.4 Major River Drainage: - Gallatin-East Gallatin Rivers 2.5 Minor Drainage: Hyalite Creek 2.6 Available water sources: Name Distance Elevation Change Type 1. Hyalite Creek -- - Perennial Stream 2. Gallatin River 8 miles, west - Perennial River 2.7- Vegetation - regional: intermountain valley grasslands 2.8 vegetation - local: agricultural with some native riparian areas 2.9 Sediments/Deposition: Alluvial sandy silts underlain by Quaternary alluvium including gravels . - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.10 Surface Visibility/season of survey: Good, September ------------------------------------------------------- 2.11 Other environmental factors pertaining to site: The site is the main or "high" line of the original Northern Pacific Railroad and is currently used by the Burlington Northern Railroad and Montana Rail Link. ' 1 v ' MONTANA CULTURAL RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM FORM Form No. 3: Assessment, Recording and Management Documentation ------ Site No. MDT - 1 --- --- 3.1 Condition/integrity: Good __ __ _ ----------------------- 3.2^ Evaluation: Does this property meet National Register criteria -for eligibility? _X_yes no Evaluation Procedures/Justification: The railroad was constructed well over 50 years ago and is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Montana and western history (see part 5 .2) . ---------- 3.3 Possible impacts- -to site: none, the site is the main,- active rail line through southern Montana 3 .4 Recommendations: no further recommendations associated with the MDT project • - - - - - 3.5 Site located by: ACRCS Date: 9/26/94 3 .6 Site recorded by: D. Tingwall, G.L. Damone Date: 9/26/94 3.7 Site form update and revisions by: S. Aaberg Date: 3/6/95 ---------- 3.8 Federal or State Permit No. : ------------ ---------------------------------------------------- 3.9 Publication(s)/Report(s) where site is described: Cultural Resource Inventory 05-1Assessment:2 . Repo t rvprepared trforlo the Miles Montanast of Department raof [STPHS 2 (15) ] Transportation by Jon Axline, 1994. -------------- ------------------------------------------ 3.10 Artifact Repository: ---------- ------------------------------------- 3.11 Field notes/maps/photo repository: MDT Helena, MT 3.12-Photo and accession numbers: ****************************** *****************************FOR OFFICE USE ONLY 3.13 Management Data: Formal Determination of Eligibility: undetermined date: formally determined ineligible for NRHP date: formal consensus determination, eligible for NRHP date: i Listed on NRHP date: date: Updated Management Information: N MONTANA CULTURAL RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM FORM Form No. 5: Description of Historic Sites Site No. MDT -1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1 Property boundaries and justification: estimated- The site is an active railroad which passes through the measured- entire State of Montana. 5.2 Physical ^ description+ of ^buildings/structures/features; dates of construction & major alterations; contribution of building/structure to property significance: The information for the following section, except where noted otherwise, was drawn primarily from E. V. Smalley's History 2f to KortheM paces Railroad (1883 ) which is contained in the Special Collections of the Renne Library at Montana State University. That portion of the railway failing within the project area belongs to the Montana Division of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The division designates 239 miles of line running from Billings to Helena. As early as the 1850s, the United States government realized the necessity of an intercontinental railroad which could carry products, raw Organizing sources, military supplies and settlers to and from the frontier. nsequently, Congress charged Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis with efforts to survey proposed routes with the result that crews were in the field by 1853 . (Bates , 1985) In 1864 , Congress granted 40 million acres to the Northern Pacific Railroad Company for the purposes of facilitating a line running from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean. Although investors were leery of the risks involved in financing such an undertaking, Philadelphia businessman Jay Cooke nevertheless managed to secure the capital necessary to sustain the project until the collapse of his bank in 1873 . Work on the railroad ceased until 1878, when it resumed under the supervision of Henry Villard. Construction was completed in 1883 when the line linked up with that of the Oregon Railway from Seattle. Construction began on the Montana Division in February 1882 and proceeded through June 1883 when railway reached Helena. The first 115 miles of this segment which follows the course of the Yellowstone River, was relatively free of the problems of landslides and fluvial erosion which had impeded the yellowstone Division's progress in other areas. However, the proposed route through the Bridger Range ended up posing no less a challenge to project engineers . Survey parties were sent ahead to scout various routes through the mountain barrier and ultimately, it was decided that the best and shortest route was through Bozeman Pass . In order to maintain a grade for the line which did not exceed the charter regulations of 116 ' per mile, construction of a tunnel was deemed necessary. Anticipating delays , project coordinators nitiated construction of the Bozeman Tunnel simultaneously with the beginning Of work on the Montana Division in Billings. Repair shops for the segment were constructed in Livingston and a road was laid through Bozeman Pass to insure that work on the tunnel did not hinder completion of the line to Helena. 1 � i 'R�.5--Historical information and context (footnote sources) : See section 5. 2 5.6 'sources, files, people consulted: Both Sources were located in the Special Collections of the Renne Library at Montana State University. Bates, Grace 1985 Gallatin County; Placed AndT s Present Past. Gallatin County Historical Society, Bozeman. Smalley, E. V. 1883 History of the No_rth?,rn Pacific Railroad. C. P. Putnams and Sons, New York Sections in which the Northern Pacific railroad occurs throughout Gallatin County include: T1S R4E Sections 1, 2, 12 40 IS R5E Sections 7, 16 , 17 , 20, 22, 25► 26, 27, 36 1S R6E Section 31 T2S R6E Sections 6, 7 , 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 23 , 24, 25 T2S R7E Sections 13, 14, 15, 19 , 20, 21, 22, 30 TIN R3E Sections 3 , 4, 10, 11, 13 , 14 TIN R4E Sections 28 , 29, 33, 34, 35 T2N R2E Sections 3 , 4, 9, 15, 16, 22, 26, 27, 35, 36 T2N R3E Sections 31, 32, 33 T3N R2E Sections 1, 6, 13, 22, 23 , 24, 26, 27, 34 T4N R2E Sections 25, 36 T4N R3E Sections 17, 18, 19, 30 • 94 i0q, ' xtreme cold temperatures during the winter of 1882-1883 interrupted work for short periods and laborers were often forced to shovel snow from the railroad grade. With the onset of spring , hardships posed by harsh weather were replaced by technical difficulties in completing the tunnel. Runoff and numerous springs in the pass weathered the local Cretaceous shales into a "sticky blue clay" which, in turn, generated landslides. When a large slide on the 4th of July threatened to hold off work beyond the deadline for the division's completion, Chief Engineer J.T. Dodge together with the Gallatin County Treasurer, formulated an ingenious solution to the crisis . Drawing from the example provided by hydraulic mining, a wood sluice was hastily constructed to Middle Creek and water from the creek was used to clear the grade. The only other major setback to the tunnel's completion, was a cave-in of the west entrance, which fortunately resulted in no loss of life. When finished, the Bozeman Tunnel spanned 3 , 610 ' at an elevation of 5, 565, and stood 20' high by 16' wide. From the west side of the Bridger Range, work proceeded rapidly on the remainder of the division and on March 21 , 1883 cannonfire and festivities heralded the arrival of the first passenger train to Bozeman . Work continued west towards Three Forks with the railroad crossing the East and West Gallatin Rivers over wooden pile bridges. Upon reaching the confluence of the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson Rivers the line swung north through the Upper Canyon of the Missouri River and essentially followed the Missouri to the Helena area where it arrived in June of 1883 . •EASUREMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS Strike of railroad: 263 degrees Tee Rails Head Width: 2 5/8" Flange Width: 5 1/2" Ties Width: 9" Length: 80" Rail Width (top) Inside Spread: 57" outside Spread: 62 1/2" Ballast of Railroad Bed: comprised of gravels and cinders 5.3rArtifacts observed, collected: None 5.4 Subsurface Testing Methods and Results: None 1 4344 2 �r N `ti i ' •• " \ 4387T r �� $ K' t , ` I 43 8 't 4410 , r.� .� ��d R 31 t Ir Z— _-- a.�rep I iL rt EM 47'30" 1 sposal 71N - 44205 "�) - I 4424 ---- --�-- 44 13T.. ,• •r-j I t 074 a.• • 'r•• '�',s, I GallatirField•-"�'-`I� ail .; •�• �. .� • .:.I Belgrade 'JAA,. ' .:ry•• � •r'• u v a( I: J 1 t•. •�✓ t' I• :t• rr am,ti. • I irwiv ��. 4457 p •.:;;: 1 BM 4418 4474 /4 /•� .0 s r .. Tew.r � q' �~:-!'bmLlr Park V-LS^�,' Gravel i ` ✓► /�! �� Q Q —� P't ten; ni a 1 r � �?+" / 'lam o ,I�G.evel � ,. c• i' 8M4488 r 01T j 1 45017 ` a.1�,�`."\"''` !•: �' 1 Gravel �4G444 r S 85 i i' y7• \ 1 P�tSi 1 § A + J 99 BM 444 j. 4 ;` "' Rail to IF •' I l C (z�45 14 ;�,+ w -• +a 1186 10' '6B t89 E 111°07'p5. Al 4 301 _ .-a-:ow'°c :.. w.vc•, cs'c nGlNl.-..°° • I ROAD MEND S•ttiNe . . . . . . . . . . . . SC 0 607C JLC UM H 900D 10 000 \�-: J Improved Road 2 OVAIDUA•\'et.E LOCATION; Unimproved Road . . . . . . . . . . . . -------- 1000 2000 Trail . R 1\TLR\'�L-l0 FEET r'"� C"i ]ntcrztatc Rowc i L:�. T2outc Statc Routc Montana Historic Property Record Site Form Addendum Site Number: 24GA1096 County: Gallatin Legal Location: Section 6, Township 2 South, Range 6 East UTM Reference: Zone 12, Easting 497547,Northing 5060008 Topographic Map: Bozeman, 1987 Property Type: Railroad line Description: This amendment describes a portion of the historic Northern Pacific Railway main line in Gallatin County, Montana. A segment of the main line approximately 150 feet in width was recorded, centered at the point where North Rouse Avenue in Bozeman crosses the railroad tracks. The line through Bozeman was completed in 1883; the tracks are now owned by BNSF Railway and operated by Montana Rail Link under lease. The track alignment at this location runs on an approximate northwest-southeast alignment, and includes a main track (to the north) and a siding (south). Both tracks exhibit the standard configuration of steel rails, wooden crossties, and crushed-rock ballast. The main track is laid with continuous welded rail, and has been extensively upgraded in recent years. It is more heavily ballasted than the siding, and is therefore at a slightly higher elevation. The siding, in contrast, is laid with lighter,jointed rail. Steelmakers marks on this rail indicate that it weighs 100 pounds per yard, and was rolled in 1925. Other railway-related items within the survey area include a communications pole line (timber poles, each with two wooden crossarms), and automatically-activated highway crossing lights and gates. A small metal structure on a concrete foundation, located at the southeast corner of the grade crossing, houses the circuitry that operates the crossing protection. South of the current grade crossing, a railroad industrial spur once crossed North Rouse Avenue, serving a small industrial area west of Rouse. Short segments of this track remain on either side of the street, although the grade crossing itself has been wholly removed. At least two additional tracks once crossed North Rouse between the current main line and the old industrial spur. These were associated with the Northern Pacific's "Low Line" route (24GA999), an alternate, lower-gradient line between Bozeman and Logan. The Low Line was built in 1919 and abandoned in 1957. It joined the railway's main line just east of North Rouse. Interstate Highway 90 now occupies the former grade of the Low Line west of the North Rouse area, and no visual evidence of the Low Line remains here. Overall, this segment of line retains a level of integrity comparable to that of the remainder of site 24GA1096 in Gallatin County. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD TOPOGRAPHIC" Property Name: Northern Pacific Railway Mainline Site Number: 24GA1096 CV— \+ SL A E 31 31. -7N eLok Dtfm A PF V HIS, 0 15T 476BAT tt y P76 IF767 10a a7l USGS Topographic Quadrangle, 1:24000 scale Bozeman, Montana (1987) Section 6, T2S R6E