People dreamed of a road through the heart of the North Cascades over a hundred years ago. In 1880, when gold fever hit the area, the idea became even more talked about. Miners trying to reach mineral riches they thought were buried in the mountains wanted a road from west to east. At the same time ranchers and farmers in north central Washington longed for a faster way to get their products to the profitable markets on the coast.
A first try at building the highway was made in 1893 when the state government budgeted $20,000 for 200 miles of road. One year later, construction crews quit work after washouts and massive landslides defeated them. Finally, in 1960 the workers met again to break the first rocks on the present route. Twelve years later the monumental project was complete.