Monida Pass

Monida Pass is a high mountain pass in the northern Rocky Mountains of the western United States, at an elevation of 6,870 feet (2,094 m) above sea level on Interstate 15, and 6,820 feet (2,079 m) on the Union Pacific Railroad.^{[citation needed]}

Monida Pass
Beaver Canyon
Elevation	6,870 ft (2,094 m)
Traversed by	I-15
Location	Beaverhead County, Montana / Clark County, Idaho, U.S.
Range	Bitterroot Range, Rocky Mountains
Coordinates	44°33′31″N 112°18′20″W / 44.55861°N 112.30556°W / 44.55861; -112.30556Coordinates: 44°33′31″N 112°18′20″W / 44.55861°N 112.30556°W / 44.55861; -112.30556
Monida Pass Location in the United States Show map of the United States Monida Pass Location on Idaho-Montana border Show map of Idaho

On the Continental Divide in the Bitterroot Range, it marks the transition between the Beaverhead Mountains and the Centennial Mountains. Its name is derived from the states that it separates, "Mon" from Montana and "-ida" from Idaho.^[1]

The pass forms part of the border between eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and is between the towns of Spencer in Clark County and Lima in Beaverhead County. On the Idaho side is Beaver Creek running through Beaver Canyon, which was the route of the Utah and Northern Railway in 1880 and is still used by Union Pacific.^[2]

A disused barn
on Monida Pass

Humphrey, Idaho

Monida, Montana

Union Pacific once had an icemaking plant at Humphrey, Idaho, which is now a ghost town; Monida, Montana, which is near the top of the pass, is also almost a ghost town, as only seven people now live there at 6,780 feet (2,067 m), ninety feet (27 m) below the pass on I-15.

2008 photo of Stage Coach Barn for travel north to Dillon and east to Yellowstone

In the late 19th century, stagecoaches ferried tourists from the railroad at Monida Pass to Yellowstone National Park, until UP built a branch line to the park over Reas Pass. Interstate 15, the "Veterans Memorial Highway," runs through the pass and north to the international boundary with Canada at Sweetgrass.^[3]

See also

• Mountain passes in Montana

References

1. UltimateMontana.com 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. retrieved 2008-04-24.
2. Idaho Museum of Natural History - Digital Atlas of Idaho - Rocks, Rails & Trails - Part 3, History of Eastern Idaho - "The Gold Road & the Coming of the Railroads," Page 54. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
3. Montana Code Annotated 2005 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine - 60 2007-04-09 at the Wayback Machine-1 2007-04-10 at the Wayback Machine-203. Veterans memorial highway 2007-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 March 2007.

• Ferrel, Hauck, Myers (1981). Colorado Rail Annual No. 15. the Colorado Railroad Museum. US 0-918654-15-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Idaho: A Climbing Guide - 76. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
• USDA Forest Service - Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest - at the Wayback Machine (archived January 14, 2009) - at the Wayback Machine (archived January 18, 2009). Retrieved 4 March 2007.
• Idaho Museum of Natural History - Digital Atlas of Idaho - "A Brief Introduction to Idaho." Retrieved 4 March 2007.

External links

• Montana Dept. of Transportation - webcam - Monida Pass