Montana Highway 287
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North end | US 287 in Ennis | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Montana | |||
Counties | Madison | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Montana Highway 287 (MT 287) is a
Route description
MT 287 begins at a T-intersection with MT 41 in the town of Twin Bridges. MT 41 heads west along Fourth Street to cross the Beaverhead River and north along Main Street. MT 287 heads south on Main Street and veers southeast out of the town. The two-lane highway parallels an inactive Montana Rail Link line through the valley of the Ruby River between the Ruby Range to the southwest and the Tobacco Root Mountains to the northeast. MT 287 follows Main Street through the town of Sheridan, where the route passes the H.D. Rossiter Building, Christ Episcopal Church and Rectory, and the William O'Brien House. The highway passes by the Robbers Roost and to the west of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in the hamlet of Laurin before reaching the southern end of the rail line in the unincorporated village of Alder, through which the highway follows Main Street and meets the northern end of Upper Ruby Road, which is designated Secondary Highway 357 (S-357).[2]
In Alder, MT 287 leaves the valley of the Ruby River and heads east through Alder Gulch, a narrow valley along which the highway ascends the more moderate mountains between the Tobacco Root Mountains to the north and the
History
The corridor through which MT 287 passes was part of two migration routes along which settlers rushed to attempt to make their fortunes during the Alder Gulch gold rush that started in 1863.[5] Virginia City was the target of both routes; the new town became the second capital of the Montana Territory in 1865.[6] Settlers from the east followed the Bozeman Trail through Wyoming and eastern Montana, including the namesake city, and settlers from the south used the Virginia City branch of the Montana Trail from Utah and Idaho.[5] After 10 years, the initial gold boom had ended, and the territorial capital moved to Helena in 1875.[7] A second period of gold extraction came at the turn of the 20th century, when mechanical gold dredges arrived to tear up Alder Gulch to gather more gold. Gold dredge placer mining and some lode mining formed the basis of the area's economy until the gold ore was mostly exhausted; the dredge tailings along Alder Gulch remain a visible reminder of the area's mining past.[8]
No part of the Twin Bridges–Ennis highway was included in the initial state highway system approved October 9, 1922, and called the Seven Percent System, named as such because 7 percent of a state's highway system was eligible for federal aid through the
MT 34 was reconstructed—and in many places relocated—and
The Montana State Highway Commission first assigned the MT 287 designation in 1958 to a cross-state route from
In 1961, MT 287 was rerouted again. The highway replaced MT 34 from Ennis to Twin Bridges, ran concurrently with MT 41 to north of
Major intersections
The entire route is in Madison County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western terminus | |||||
Alder | 19.611 | 31.561 | S-357 south (Upper Ruby Road) – Ruby Dam | ||
| 41.000 | 65.983 | S-249 south (Varney Road) | ||
Ennis | 42.822 | 68.915 | US 287 (Main Street) – West Yellowstone, Norris | Eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Montana Department of Transportation (January 19, 2022). "ALTIS Road Log Report" (PDF). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. pp. 103–105. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Montana Department of Transportation (2021). Montana Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (2021 ed.). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "History of Virginia City and Nevada City". Montana Heritage Commission. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ Google (June 30, 2017). "Alder Gulch" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9781625853653.
- ISBN 0966335562.
- ISBN 156044956X.
- ^ Forney, G. (December 2008). "History". Virginia City Montana Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Warden, O. S.; Mulvaney, W. J.; Rowe, J. H. (December 1928). Report of State Highway Commission of Montana (1928 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. p. 29. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Warden, O. S.; Rowe, J. H.; Nelson, Axel (December 1932). Report of State Highway Commission of Montana (1932 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. pp. 12–13, 51. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c Warden, O. S.; Mulvaney, W. J.; Rowe, J. H. (December 1930). Report of State Highway Commission of Montana (1930 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. pp. 5, 30–31, 38. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1935). Highway Map of Montana (PDF) (Map) (1935 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ D6–E6. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1936). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1936 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ D6–E6. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1937). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1937 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ D6–E6. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1938). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1938 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ D6–E6. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1939). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1939 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1940). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1940 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1941). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1941 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1942). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1942 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1948). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1948 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1951). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1951 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1955). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1955 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Engineering Services, Inc. (1956). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1956 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1958). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1958 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1959). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1959 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1960). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1960 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1961). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1961 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1962). Map of the Montana State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1962 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1965). Montana Highways (PDF) (Map) (1965 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1966). Montana Highways (PDF) (Map) (1966 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; Rand McNally & Company (1967). Montana Highways (PDF) (Map) (1967 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1977). Montana Highways (PDF) (Map) (1977 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Montana State Highway Commission; H. M. Gousha Company (1978). Montana Highways (PDF) (Map) (1978 ed.). Helena: Montana State Highway Commission. §§ G4–G5. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
External links
Media related to Montana Highway 287 at Wikimedia Commons