John F. Stevens Memorial Statue
John F. Stevens was a civil engineer for the Great Northern
Railroad. He was charged with finding a suitable rail route across
the Continental Divide. In December of 1889, Stevens located and
recorded the pass which had been used by area Native Americans for
many centuries.
By 1893, the Great Northern was running trains over Marias Pass.
This route provided the lowest pass (at 5,216 feet above sea level)
and the shortest link between the headwaters of the Mississippi
River and the Pacific Coast.
A 56-mile section of highway over Marias Pass was the last section
of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway to be completed.
Prior to the completion of this section in 1930, automobiles were
loaded onto railcars and transported from one side of the pass to
the other. The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway extends
4.060 miles from Portland Maine, to Portland, Oregon, by way of
Ontario, Canada.
"John F. Stevens Memorial Statue."
The Hi-Line and the Yellowstone Trail: To Glacier Park and Back Again.
1 Sept. 2004.
Lacus Veris.
7 May. 2024
<http://www.lacusveris.com/The Hi-Line and the Yellowstone Trail/The Rockies/Marker: Summit, MT 2004-08-02 19.06.26.shtml>.
Last modified 6 Oct. 2015.
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