US 65 north of Minneapolis

[bugo]

US 65 was briefly extended north of Minneapolis in the 1930s. It was soon cut back to Minneapolis, apparently because AASHTO did not authorize the extension. Some sources say that it ended at US 71 at Littlefork but the 1934 Minnesota official highway map, which an excerpt is shown here, shows US 65 ending at US 210 in McGregor. This map shows MN 65 continuing north of McGregor to near Rauch, where it ends. A second segment of MN 65 is shown to run from US 71 at Littlefork south to near Dentaybow with no road connecting the gap. The 1933 and 1935 Minnesota highway maps show US 65 ending in Minneapolis. What is the real story? Does anybody have access to any other 1933-35 Minnesota maps?



Here is the entire 1934 Minnesota highway map. Other editions of this map are also available at the same website.

http://cdm16022.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/mdt/id/210/rec/1

[Mapmikey]

This 1934 map also shows US 218 extended to Brainerd (with a detour using US 10 and 371) and US 212 extended to the Wisconsin border.

[MNHighwayMan]

This 1934 map also shows US 218 extended to Brainerd (with a detour using US 10 and 371) and US 212 extended to the Wisconsin border.

It was actually supposed to be MN-218, not US-218. (The detour labels are using the incorrect shape.) The number does come from being labeled as an extension of US-218, though, in the same way the MN-65/US-65 pair does. US-218 only ever went as far north as St. Paul, although I believe there were proposals to extend 218 northwest, which is where the typographical inconsistency may come from.

[froggie]

Some sources say that it ended at US 71 at Littlefork

Which sources are these?  Neither I nor Steve Riner have seen anything showing a "US 65" north of US 2.  The primary edition of the 1934 map had US 65 ending at US 2.

It was actually supposed to be MN-218, not US-218. (The detour labels are using the incorrect shape.) The number does come from being labeled as an extension of US-218, though, in the same way the MN-65/US-65 pair does. US-218 only ever went as far north as St. Paul, although I believe there were proposals to extend 218 northwest, which is where the typographical inconsistency may come from.

218 did exist north of St. Paul for over a decade.  It was concurrent with US 10 to Becker, then followed what is now MN 25 to Brainerd.  It was dropped (with MN 25 extended north of Becker) ca. 1949.

There was a proposal to extend US 218 northwest of St. Paul, eventually replacing what was then US 10N from St. Cloud to Moorhead.  This was dropped when US 52 was created instead.

[MNHighwayMan]

It was actually supposed to be MN-218, not US-218. (The detour labels are using the incorrect shape.) The number does come from being labeled as an extension of US-218, though, in the same way the MN-65/US-65 pair does. US-218 only ever went as far north as St. Paul, although I believe there were proposals to extend 218 northwest, which is where the typographical inconsistency may come from.

218 did exist north of St. Paul for over a decade.  It was concurrent with US 10 to Becker, then followed what is now MN 25 to Brainerd.  It was dropped (with MN 25 extended north of Becker) ca. 1949.

There was a proposal to extend US 218 northwest of St. Paul, eventually replacing what was then US 10N from St. Cloud to Moorhead.  This was dropped when US 52 was created instead.

Hmm, Steve Riner's page says that that northwest extension to Brainerd was MN-218. Is that incorrect?

[froggie]

What actually happened was correct...MN 218 to Brainerd.  What I'm saying is that, before US 52 was created, there was a proposal to extend US 218 to Moorhead via St. Cloud/Little Falls/Detroit Lakes.  That didn't happen...and Steve actually covers that on his page too.

[MNHighwayMan]

Oh, I see. Your post, three posts up, starts out with just "218" and I incorrectly interpreted that as meaning US-218. All's well now.

[The Ghostbuster]

Does anyone know if any of these 1934 extensions were signposted or not? I know this was 84 years ago, but I suspect they likely were not, given how short-lived these US Highway extensions lasted.

[MNHighwayMan]

Some of them were, but for at most, like, a year. Some of them never were.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Some of them were, but for at most, like, a year. Some of them never were.

There are some pretty hilarious stories along these lines, one legend of which was that when modern MN 1 was created they supposedly managed to repost the entire route using the old CR-1 shields from US 65/US 61 in just one day.

[bugo]

Some sources say that it ended at US 71 at Littlefork

Which sources are these?  Neither I nor Steve Riner have seen anything showing a "US 65" north of US 2.  The primary edition of the 1934 map had US 65 ending at US 2.

Wikipedia (that bastion of credibility) insinuates that US 65 once ended in Littlefork at US 71. I have seen other sources somewhere else that indicated that it ended in Littlefork but I can't remember where.

[froggie]

^ They were actually referring to MN 65 there.  Though I'll agree their wording suggests that US 65 followed all of what is now MN 65 north.

Again, none of my sources nor Steve Riner's have a terminus north of US 2.  And we've looked...

[texaskdog]

US 65 was briefly extended north of Minneapolis in the 1930s. It was soon cut back to Minneapolis, apparently because AASHTO did not authorize the extension. Some sources say that it ended at US 71 at Littlefork but the 1934 Minnesota official highway map, which an excerpt is shown here, shows US 65 ending at US 210 in McGregor. This map shows MN 65 continuing north of McGregor to near Rauch, where it ends. A second segment of MN 65 is shown to run from US 71 at Littlefork south to near Dentaybow with no road connecting the gap. The 1933 and 1935 Minnesota highway maps show US 65 ending in Minneapolis. What is the real story? Does anybody have access to any other 1933-35 Minnesota maps?



Here is the entire 1934 Minnesota highway map. Other editions of this map are also available at the same website.

http://cdm16022.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/mdt/id/210/rec/1

When my grandpa moved into a nursing home he gave me this map.  He had an awesome collection.

[MNHighwayMan]

^ They were actually referring to MN 65 there.  Though I'll agree their wording suggests that US 65 followed all of what is now MN 65 north.

Again, none of my sources nor Steve Riner's have a terminus north of US 2.  And we've looked...

Besides that, it really doesn't make any sense. There's just short of nothing along 65 north of US-2.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

^ They were actually referring to MN 65 there.  Though I'll agree their wording suggests that US 65 followed all of what is now MN 65 north.

Again, none of my sources nor Steve Riner's have a terminus north of US 2.  And we've looked...

Besides that, it really doesn't make any sense. There's just short of nothing along 65 north of US-2.

The section of 65 through the Nett Lake reservation wasn't paved until 2000, which other than MN 74 was probably the last unpaved section of state highway.