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1956 Map of Saltese

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Saltese
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

St Joe National Forest and the Coeur d'Alene National Forest meet at the Idaho-Montana border, a landscape defined by its deep mining history and vital transcontinental transportation corridors. The map details the industrial footprint of the mid-20th century, where the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific Railroad navigate the steep grades of the Bitterroot Range. Settlements like Saltese, Taft, and Falcon anchor the rail lines, while infrastructure such as the Roland Tunnel and East Portal illustrate the engineering required to breach the continental divide at Mullan Pass.

Hard-rock mining operations are concentrated in the northern gulches, including the Snowstorm Mines and Lucky Calumet Mine. Historical routes like the Mullan Road trace the earlier pioneer path through the mountains, contrasting with the mid-century development of Lookout Pass and its associated Lookout Pass Towers. The remote character of the terrain is further evidenced by isolated lookouts such as Nelson Lookout and the Turner Peak Lookout Station.