Mullan, Idaho

Mullan came into existence {{Years or months ago|1884}} in 1884 with the discovery of gold at the Gold Hunter Mine, which turned out to be a lead and silver producer. That same year, George Good made a lead-silver strike with the Morning Mine and Mullan came into existence between the two mines. The site was filed in August 1888, after the village had twenty log and fifteen frame houses, a sawmill, and a population of 150. The Northern Pacific Railway arrived in 1889 and the city was incorporated in 1904.*{{cite book

| last = Fisher

| first = Vardis

| author-link = Vardis Fisher

| last2 = Federal Writers' Project

| author2-link = Federal Writers' Project

| title = Idaho Encyclopedia

| publisher = Caxton Printers, Ltd

| year = 1938

| location = Caldwell, Idaho

| pages = 398

| oclc = 962624}}

File:Morning Mill, 1909 - Mullan, Idaho (50568329623).jpg

During the Coeur d'Alene labor confrontation of 1899, two hundred miners from Mullan joined the Dynamite Express. In the aftermath of the labor war, many of Mullan's leaders and Populist elected officials including the sheriff were arrested and sent to the Wallace bull pens.History of Selected Mines in the Pine Creek Area, Shoshone County, Idaho by Victoria E Mitchell, Idaho Geological Survey

The city was named for West Point graduate John Mullan {{nowrap|(1830–1909),{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0a9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u-gDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7263%2C1242523 | title=Folklore refuted by early settler | newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington | date=October 18, 1965 |page=5}}}} who was in charge of selecting a wagon route (commonly called the Mullan Road) between Fort Benton (Montana) and Fort Walla Walla (Washington). Lieutenant Mullan, a topographical engineer in the U.S. Army, began gathering information in 1854. Delayed by the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858, construction began in 1859 from Fort Walla Walla.

From today's Mullan townsite, the Mullan Road continued {{convert|6–7|mi|0}} southeast up Willow Creek to cross the {{nowrap|Idaho–Montana}} border at today's St. Regis Pass {{nowrap|({{coord|47.45|-115.722}}).}} It was formerly "Sohon Pass," named by Mullan for artist Gustavus Sohon, whose explorations found the {{convert|4900|ft|round=5|adj=on}} gap,John Mullan: The Tumultuous Life Of A Western Road Builder, Keith C. Petersen, Washington State University Press, 2014, pages 114, 292n55 about a mile west of Lookout Pass. After the strenuous project was completed in 1860, floods wiped out substantial stretches of the road, and the road was re-routed in 1861. Floods again damaged the road, and ultimately, no provision for maintenance was provided.*{{cite book

| last = Jackson

| first = W. Turrentine

| author-link =

| title = Wagon Roads West

| publisher = University of California Press

| year = 1938

| location = Berkeley, California

| pages = 257–278

| isbn = 0-8032-9402-6}}

Mullan's population has declined in recent decades, from a peak of 2,291 in 1940.[http://commerce.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/historical.xls Historical Populations by City] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416020906/http://commerce.idaho.gov/assets/content/docs/historical.xls |date=2009-04-16 }}, Idaho Department of Commerce. Accessed 2009-05-30.

Mullan is significantly smaller than it was in the heyday of the Morning and Lucky Friday mines. The Mullan School District operates the John Mullan Elementary School (K–6) and the Mullan Junior/Senior High School {{nowrap|(7–12),}} opened {{Years or months ago|1927}} in 1927.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y-5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F-IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6963%2C1733084 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=New $56,000 Mullan, Idaho, high school |date=October 9, 1927 |page=15}}

Mullan has its own fire department and owns and maintains an Olympic-size swimming pool ({{convert|50|m|yd|0|abbr=on}}) for community use. The city is accessed from Interstate 90 at exits 67, 68, and 69.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|0.84|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all of it land.{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2012-12-18|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=2012-01-25}}

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mullan has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four full seasons. Summers are generally warm, with cool nights, while winters are cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging 112 inches (284 cm).

{{Weather box

|location = Mullan, Idaho, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–present

|single line = Yes

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high F = 58

|Feb record high F = 66

|Mar record high F = 76

|Apr record high F = 87

|May record high F = 93

|Jun record high F = 103

|Jul record high F = 101

|Aug record high F = 105

|Sep record high F = 95

|Oct record high F = 87

|Nov record high F = 69

|Dec record high F = 57

|Jan high F = 35.1

|Feb high F = 38.5

|Mar high F = 46.2

|Apr high F = 54.7

|May high F = 65.3

|Jun high F = 71.0

|Jul high F = 80.8

|Aug high F = 81.2

|Sep high F = 70.7

|Oct high F = 55.2

|Nov high F = 40.9

|Dec high F = 32.2

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 28.8

|Feb mean F = 30.5

|Mar mean F = 36.5

|Apr mean F = 43.5

|May mean F = 52.7

|Jun mean F = 58.1

|Jul mean F = 65.0

|Aug mean F = 64.7

|Sep mean F = 56.2

|Oct mean F = 44.4

|Nov mean F = 34.1

|Dec mean F = 27.2

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 22.5

|Feb low F = 22.4

|Mar low F = 26.7

|Apr low F = 32.4

|May low F = 40.2

|Jun low F = 45.2

|Jul low F = 49.2

|Aug low F = 48.2

|Sep low F = 41.8

|Oct low F = 33.6

|Nov low F = 27.3

|Dec low F = 22.1

|year low F =

|Jan record low F = -23

|Feb record low F = -18

|Mar record low F = -9

|Apr record low F = 12

|May record low F = 21

|Jun record low F = 26

|Jul record low F = 27

|Aug record low F = 29

|Sep record low F = 20

|Oct record low F = -2

|Nov record low F = -16

|Dec record low F = -27

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.14

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.54

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.47

|Apr precipitation inch = 2.98

|May precipitation inch = 2.53

|Jun precipitation inch = 2.97

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.95

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.98

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.57

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.93

|Nov precipitation inch = 4.70

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.80

|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 16.3

|Feb precipitation days = 14.6

|Mar precipitation days = 16.4

|Apr precipitation days = 14.3

|May precipitation days = 14.4

|Jun precipitation days = 12.0

|Jul precipitation days = 7.6

|Aug precipitation days = 6.8

|Sep precipitation days = 8.1

|Oct precipitation days = 11.9

|Nov precipitation days = 19.7

|Dec precipitation days = 17.1

|Jan snow inch = 24.8

|Feb snow inch = 23.3

|Mar snow inch = 9.8

|Apr snow inch = 4.3

|May snow inch = 0.3

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = trace

|Oct snow inch = 2.4

|Nov snow inch = 18.1

|Dec snow inch = 31.1

|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 11.7

|Feb snow days = 9.2

|Mar snow days = 7.7

|Apr snow days = 3.9

|May snow days = 0.6

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.1

|Oct snow days = 1.6

|Nov snow days = 10.1

|Dec snow days = 13.5

|Jan snow depth inch =

|Feb snow depth inch =

|Mar snow depth inch =

|Apr snow depth inch =

|May snow depth inch =

|Jun snow depth inch =

|Jul snow depth inch =

|Aug snow depth inch =

|Sep snow depth inch =

|Oct snow depth inch =

|Nov snow depth inch =

|Dec snow depth inch =

|year snow depth inch =

|source 1 = NOAA (precip days, snow/snow days 1981–2010)

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00106230&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Mullan, ID (1991–2020)

|access-date = September 2, 2024

}}

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00106230&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Mullan, ID (1981–2010)

|access-date = September 2, 2024

}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=otx

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Spokane

|access-date = September 2, 2024

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|align=left

|1910= 1667

|1920= 1320

|1930= 1891

|1940= 2291

|1950= 2036

|1960= 1477

|1970= 1279

|1980= 1269

|1990= 821

|2000= 840

|2010= 692

|2020= 646

|estyear=2019

|estimate=692

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2012-12-18}} of 2010, there were 692 people, 326 households, and 193 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|823.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 434 housing units at an average density of {{convert|516.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 326 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the city was 48.3 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}} of 2000, there were 840 people, 367 households, and 227 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,011.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 456 housing units at an average density of {{convert|549.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.31% White, 1.43% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 1.19% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population.

There were 367 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $36,917. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,943. About 7.8% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

• List of cities in Idaho
• Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area

{{reflist|22em}}

• Conley, Cort. Idaho for the Curious. Cambridge: Backeddy, 1982, {{ISBN|0-9603566-3-0}}, 451–53, 493–95.

{{commons category|Mullan, Idaho}}

• [http://www.mullanschools.com/ Mullan School District]
• [http://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/bar-stock&CISOBOX1=Mullan University of Idaho Library] - various images of early Mullan
• [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=title&CISOROOT=all&CISOBOX1=Mullan University of Washington Libraries] - various images of early Mullan
• [http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=3300 Spokane Journal of Commerce] - Lucky Friday mine to expand - 13-Sep-2007
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080508235213/http://www.hecla-mining.com/hmc_prop_luckyfriday.html Hecla Mining.com] - Lucky Friday mine - Mullan

{{Shoshone County, Idaho}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Idaho

Category:Cities in Shoshone County, Idaho