The Yellowstone Trail

In this age of super highways that carry evil cars, it is hard to believe that people instead of waiting for government to do things for them, proactively did things for themselves. Today it is believed this sort of vigilante self-reliance, is best saved for Libertarians and hardcore followers of Sarah Palin. But turn back the clock 100 or so years and this sort of can do grassroots attitude was championed by all progressives. Oh how the world changes.

The Yellowstone Trail is an example of that do it yourself self-reliance. 1912 was an age of poorly marked, poorly built and poorly maintained roads, especially in the west. J.W. Parmley of Ipswitch, SD, decided to do something about it. He and some businessmen friends wanted a good road between Ipswitch and Aberdeen, SD, 25 miles away, this idea quickly expanded to a road to Yellowstone Park, and just as quickly a road from Plymouth, MA to the Puget Sound. In October 1912 the Yellowstone Trail Association was founded to do just that. The Association was headquartered in Minneapolis and had local representatives across the route. One of the primary jobs of the local representatives was to mark the route, with either a yellow stone or a yellow circle with a black arrow. The other primary job of the Association was to lobby governments, be it, local, state or federal for better all season roads along the route. And if the government didn't want to improve the roads, the Association would hold a Trail Day and picnic to drag the road. Whole towns would shut down to join the effort. The Association also printed maps of the route and acted as a proto-AAA for travelers, providing road conditions and assistance in times of need.

By 1926 the Federal Highways were numbered and funding for road projects had increased, so the Association was in a decline. With the onset of the Great Depression the Association folded and pasted into history.

Many of us thought out the northern U.S., use roads that were first planned or improved by the Yellowstone Trail, in Washington State, a few examples are 196th Ave NE in Redmond, North Bend Way, east of Bendigo, the old Sunset Highway over Snoqualmie Pass, Dollarway in Ellensburg and Thorp Highway.

Tonight here are couple pictures of the Yellowstone Trail in King County, first 196th Ave NE, between the current Redmond-Fall City Road and Union Hill Road. This was orginially paved in 1913 and is longest stretch of brick highway in King County. The second picture is of a Yellowstone Trail marker, just to the west of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River bridge on the old Sunset Highway on Snoqualmie Pass.

To learn more about the Yellowstone Trail go here: http://www.yellowstonetrail.org/index.htm