Auto Tour and Tourism

As highways continued to expand, congressmen realized the potential tourism they could provide. One such congressman was Washington Senator Warren Magnuson, who in 1950 led the first congressional effort to establish an official roadway for Lewis and Clark’s expedition trail.

This proposed route, called the Lewis and Clark Tourway, would help guide tourists across the country and provide states with an opportunity to establish attractions along their sections of the tourway. The proposal failed, but after repeated attempts to reintroduce the proposal, Montana’s congressmen joined Washington in the pursuit of an official tourway.