A Trail Through History / When Montana's Roads Had Names

By editor

Three Forks, Gallatin County, Montana, July 2025

The road from Three Forks to Helena is a old one. Long before the establishment of those cities, it originated as a trail used by Montana's first citizens as they followed the bison herds and other game animals. By the time the Gallatin Valley became an important agricultural area in the 1860s, the trail was well-worn and easy to follow for the freight wagons, pack animals, and passenger coaches making there way between Bozeman, Virginia City, Helena, and Fort Benton. The dusty road echoed with the sounds of creaking leather harnesses and wagons, and the curses of the bullwhackers and muleskinners urging their animals along. To assist travelers in the headwaters area, James Sheed built bridges across the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson rivers. That thoroughfare joins the highway a short distance north of here as Old Town Road. The arrival of automobiles in the early twentieth century changed the character of the road. The Montana State Highway Commission designated this route US Highway 287 in 1960.

In the early days of automobile tourism, Montana's highways had names instead of numbers. Nineteen named highways crisscrossed Montana in the years following World War I, mostly providing connections to the national parks and other historical and recreational attractions. The roads were interlinked county-maintained roads united by distinctive signs and symbols so motorists could easily follow their destination. Organizations such as the Yellowstone Trail Association, created and promoted by the named highways. Local commercial clubs subscribed to the association brochures and advertised hotels, garages, and tourist camps in their communities in them. The roads had colorful names like Yellowstone Trail, Roosevelt Highway, Vigilante Trail, and Custer Battlefield Highway among others.

US Highway 287 between Three Forks and Helena originated in the 1910s as the Geysers to Glaciers Motor Trail. Dedicated by Montana governor Sam Stewart in June 1919, the Geysers at Gardiner to Glaciers Motor Trail connected the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park to the east entrance of Glacier National Park at East Glacier. The 396-mile chain of unpaved roads was marked by red, white and blue signs with arrows pointing motorists to Yellowstone and Glacier national parks in the eight Montana counties it passed through. In 1920, and new branch of the highway took motorists along this route through Townsend to Helena.

Road promoters touted the trail as the shortest path between Yellowstone and Glacier with "pathfinders" in each community ready to make road repairs and assist tourists. The Geysers to Glaciers Motor Trail had disappeared from Montana maps by 1930. It is a shame, really. A number is a cold, lifeless thing, but a name like "Geysers to Glaciers" has a certain poetry to it. It promises adventure and spectacle, whereas "Highway 287" merely promises a paved surface and a speed limit.

"The dusty road echoed with the sounds of creaking leather harnesses and wagons, and the curses of the bullwhackers and muleskinners urging their animals along." This is the true music of the frontier, a symphony of profanity and exertion. The men who drove the freight wagons were a rough and ready lot, and their language was as colorful as the names of the roads they traveled.

The transition from named trails to numbered highways reflects the broader transformation of the American landscape. As the automobile became more prevalent, the need for a standardized, efficient system of navigation superseded the romantic appeal of named routes. Efficiency is the enemy of romance, and the numbered highway is the ultimate expression of efficiency.

Yet, the memory of those early named highways lingers on, a nostalgic reminder of a time when travel was an adventure rather than a chore. The Geysers to Glaciers Motor Trail may have vanished from the maps, but it remains a part of the cultural heritage of Montana. It is a symbol of the early days of automobile tourism, when the open road beckoned with the promise of discovery.

As we drive along Highway 287 today, it is worth pausing to reflect on the history of the road beneath our wheels. It is a road that has been traveled by Native Americans, pioneers, freighters, and tourists, each leaving their mark on the landscape. It is a road that connects the past to the present, a tangible link to the generations that came before us.

The bridges built by James Sheed are long gone, replaced by modern concrete structures. The dust has been paved over, and the curses of the bullwhackers have been replaced by the hum of tires on asphalt. But the spirit of the road remains, a spirit of journey and exploration that is as old as humanity itself.

In the end, a road is more than just a path from one place to another. It is a story, a narrative of human endeavor and progress. And whether it is called the Geysers to Glaciers Motor Trail or Highway 287, it is a story that continues to unfold with every passing mile.

See also

• A Trail Through History / When Montana's Roads Had Names at Three Forks, Gallatin County (Montana Department of Transportation, erected 2025)
• Yellowstone National Park for more on the destination of the early motor trails