Opening Day
Opening Day
In the summer of 1935 more than 14,000 people visited Knox Point, even though the road wouldn’t officially open until June 14 of the next year. When it did open at a total cost of $1.25 million, it entered the ranks of America’s engineering marvels like San Francisco’s Golden Gate and Bay Bridges and the Hoover Dam. Few who drive it can ever forget its scenic vistas, sheer drop-offs, and miles of alpine beauty.
Tourists flock to the new Red Lodge High Road
Railroads and National Parks go together in our history like peanut butter & jelly. The Union Pacific Railroad had seen its business skyrocket when Yosemite was set aside as a national Preserve in the 1860s, so when the 1870 Washburn survey came in describing Yellowstone’s unique features and stunning grandeur, Northern Pacific financier Jay Cooke began his relentless lobby for the creation of Yellowstone as a tourist destination for his future passengers.
Tourists would board the train in Minneapolis, and when they got to one of the Park’s gateway cities, they’d be able to choose a 3 ½ to 4 day bus tour of Yellowstone. With the opening of the Beartooth Highway, though, rail visitors were still 68 miles from the Park. So both the railroad company and the Park Service had buses that would pick up passengers at Red Lodge’s depot and take them over the pass to the top of the world and into Yellowstone. In 1938, Northern Pacific advertised to its Park customers, “Experience the new Red Lodge Entrance…. It’s the talk of the country.” Their one-day “Red Lodge High Road” tour cost $4.
When people started driving their own cars more and more after World War II, bus traffic in and around the Park declined. The Buses were sold at auction and have landed in private collections around the country. You can still see some of the original buses around Red Lodge in the summertime. A group of private owners have formed an historic preservation trust to keep this fun piece of history alive. Watch for them on display in parades and at special events throughout the year.
