Unfortunately, this event took place about 15 years ago. At the time, I didn't know about a website like this. We used to own a lake cabin on Poskin Lake, in Barron County, Wisconsin. The lake is about a mile north of US Highway 8.
While my wife and I were walking on the southeast side of Poskin Lake toward the resort one summer late afternoon/early evening, we were on 15th Avenue near 9 1/4 St. Off some bushes was an old historical sign stating that this stretch of road had once been Highway 14.
At the time, we thought it had to be a salvaged sign that had been moved there and thrown away, because US-14 was several miles to the south and never came through this area. Only years later did we learn that WI-14 was the predecessor to US Highway 8. Prior to 1926, it was State Highway 14. By the time we discovered this, we had sold the cabin and have never been back to that part of the state. It might still be there waiting for somebody to come give it new life.
Hm. As best as I can tell, 14 was always south of the tracks: http://books.google.com/books?id=sK1JAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA739
Perhaps it was repurposed as something else by the county.
That Blue Book is dated 1922. It could be that in the prior decade, 14 used section lines that had to cross the old train tracks. I know for sure we found the sign north of the tracks, because we owned a cabin on the other side of Poskin Lake and were driving to the resort. The only way to drive to the other side of the lake without going to US-8 is the dirt road north of the track.
If this will help pinpoint the date we found this sign, it was the same week that three juvenile delinquents from Chicago decided to fire pellet guns at the turkeys at the Mennonite farm near the lake. Although they did not hit any turkeys, the turkeys ate the lead pellets, and none could be used commercially.
I believe that track has now been pulled up so the right of way can be a snowmobile route now.