I've long been curious about American Indian history in the Midwest, and lately have been reading more about Indian footpaths and trails. Not surprisingly, these trails were often used by early European colonists and many became important roads in the United States. Perhaps the best known in this region is US 12 from Detroit to Chicago, the "Sauk Trail", which you can still follow from the Detroit area to south of Chicago.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.msu.edu%2Fgeogmich%2Fimages%2Findian_trails_1763.JPG&hash=cd5efcdd15acaebf1dcad7e023e6c87da9c731b4)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.msu.edu%2Fgeogmich%2Fimages%2Fregional-indian-trails.jpeg&hash=ffd80aa9bd425255173504041d34c650a4cb4c4e)
http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/indian_trails.html (http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/indian_trails.html)
In addition, some early US military roads have also endured as roads and highways. Hull's Trace in Ohio and Michigan, was one of the first military and first federal roads in the US. There is a small section of the original road, and the planks used to stabilize it, near Brownstown MI. The arc of this road is still visible from Urbana Ohio, up US 68, to Findlay, where it ran near US/SR 25, up to the center of Perrysburg, Ohio, where it crossed the Maumee near old Fort Miamis, becoming Detroit Avenue around Toledo and straight up to Detroit on MI 125, State Post Road, and Fort Street.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull%27s_Trace_North_Huron_River_Corduroy_Segment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull%27s_Trace_North_Huron_River_Corduroy_Segment)
What roads in your area were originally Indian trails, or military paths?
US 6 in Woodbury, CT was laid out along an Indian trail.
CT 14 also followed an Indian path.
Given that some native roads might have been adopted from game trails, there may be some highways that owe their original alignment to animals. (This could lead to all sorts of disparaging jokes about locally hated roads.)
The Green Bay Road was established as a pioneer trail between Chicago and Green Bay. There is at least one marker that I know of, dated in the 1830's, that marks this "road" which followed a trail used by the Indians and earlier European settlers. Where I live in Kenosha, WI, this road is still known as Green Bay Road and it is also state highway 31. The newest high school in Kenosha is near this road and is called Indian Trail High School, and there is a nearby shopping center along Green Bay Road called Indian Trail Plaza.
Part of the Saginaw Trail can still be seen and is commemorated in Royal Oak:
http://www.royaloakhistoricalsociety.com/almonstarrindiantrail.html
Quote from: Mrt90 on November 07, 2016, 12:18:12 PM
The Green Bay Road was established as a pioneer trail between Chicago and Green Bay. There is at least one marker that I know of, dated in the 1830's, that marks this "road" which followed a trail used by the Indians and earlier European settlers. Where I live in Kenosha, WI, this road is still known as Green Bay Road and it is also state highway 31. The newest high school in Kenosha is near this road and is called Indian Trail High School, and there is a nearby shopping center along Green Bay Road called Indian Trail Plaza.
Are the roads by the name of Green Bay Road in Neenah, Appleton, and Kaukauna any relation to this trail?
Quote from: 20160805 on November 07, 2016, 04:57:55 PM
Quote from: Mrt90 on November 07, 2016, 12:18:12 PM
The Green Bay Road was established as a pioneer trail between Chicago and Green Bay. There is at least one marker that I know of, dated in the 1830's, that marks this "road" which followed a trail used by the Indians and earlier European settlers. Where I live in Kenosha, WI, this road is still known as Green Bay Road and it is also state highway 31. The newest high school in Kenosha is near this road and is called Indian Trail High School, and there is a nearby shopping center along Green Bay Road called Indian Trail Plaza.
Are the roads by the name of Green Bay Road in Neenah, Appleton, and Kaukauna any relation to this trail?
I don't know for sure, but I have doubts about that; my guess is that the trail followed a path that was closer to Lake Michigan.
The stagecoach trail is a backdoor roadway between Stockton and Galena, but was originally a pioneer trail across northern Illinois to help stagecoach trains move west from Chicago and Rockford
Military Trail in Palm Beach County FL
LGMS428
There is the Military Road in Wisconsin, which I believe ran from Prairie Du Chein to Green Bay. It ran near what is today US 18 and US 18/151 along the Military Ridge from Prairie Du Chein the Madison. The Military Ridge State Trail also parallels this old road and runs from Dodgeville to Madison. It then roughly followed present day US 151 towards Fond du Lac and then Green Bay. Fond du Lac and Green Bay both have local roads named Military Rd. that follow its path.
US 151 between Madison and Fond du Lac, WI follows an old military road. It then continued towards Green Bay via what are now US 151, WI 55 and several other county and township roads.
Mike
US 10/61 between St. Paul and Hastings, MN follows parts of the old Point Douglas Road, a military road between Hastings and Superior, WI.
Thanks for all these examples...keep 'em coming!
2 of the main highways in Jacksonville FL were build around WWII to link military facilities to the city... SR 21/CR 215 was built as the road Camp Blanding.. Now called Blanding Blvd...
SR228/Normandy Blvd built to link to Cecil Field NAS to Jax...
Not old militaty trails per se but military built
---------------
Alaska highway was built to maintain links to Alaska far from Japanese attack
LGMS428
Central Ave between Albany and Schenectady, NY was part of the Iroquois Trail.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 09, 2016, 06:37:48 PM
US 10/61 between St. Paul and Hastings, MN follows parts of the old Point Douglas Road, a military road between Hastings and Superior, WI.
This same road continued through St. Paul. There's a cool vestige of it that's an alley in St. Paul: https://www.minnpost.com/stroll/2014/08/territorial-alley-vestige-spine-linked-twin-cities.
Shouldn't this be in the General Highway Talk Forum? I know the OP was talking about the Mid-West in his original post, but with the thread title it seems to be all encompassing. There are plenty of examples out west, especially the Trans-Sierra highways.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 19, 2016, 11:37:49 PM
Shouldn't this be in the General Highway Talk Forum? I know the OP was talking about the Mid-West in his original post, but with the thread title it seems to be all encompassing. There are plenty of examples out west, especially the Trans-Sierra highways.
Sure - how do I move it?
Quote from: westerninterloper on November 20, 2016, 09:21:11 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 19, 2016, 11:37:49 PM
Shouldn't this be in the General Highway Talk Forum? I know the OP was talking about the Mid-West in his original post, but with the thread title it seems to be all encompassing. There are plenty of examples out west, especially the Trans-Sierra highways.
Sure - how do I move it?
The mod for this board is rawmustard, if you PM him usually they can move it pretty easily. I'd to get some of my California and Florida stuff on this thread.