John Mullan (1830-1909) (After the Road)

John Mullan won acclaim as a young Army lieutenant. His 625-mile road, the Northwest’s first engineered highway, is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Towns, schools, and streets in three states bear his name. After roadbuilding, Mullan’s life proved less gratifying. In 1863, he resigned from the Army and attempted unsuccessfully to gain President Lincoln’s appointment as Idaho’s first territorial governor. He then failed as a Walla Walla businessman and as partner in a Boise-to-California stage line. He finally found success as a California lawyer, but eventually lost his fortune. He died penniless in 1909, the year automobiles first traveled his road.