Another new article at the U.S. 61 project! All visible historic alignments of U.S. 61 along its modern extent in Minnesota are now documented and photographed. Next project? Articles on the historic junctions and roadside structures along the same stretch! Photos have thankfully already been taken for this section, so it shouldn’t take to long to start posting them – stay tuned!
Click on the photo below to see the new article!
Two more with photos and maps! Click on the photos below!
Hello all. Three more articles added tonight. Enjoy!
Brand new article with photos, etc! I also just completed a revamp of the historic U.S. 61 articles, correcting a few design issues etc.
Work continues on the U.S. 61 project! I managed to photograph all of the historic alignments along the route between St. Paul and Wyoming last weekend. Those photos should be showing up at the U.S. 61 Project soon, along with yet more updates to the look and usability of the pages. The website has not only become an exercise in unearthing history, but also in learning the ins and outs of web design for me.
In more material news, I recently picked up a postcard via ebay showing what U.S. 61 used to look like before it was paved south of Winona near King and Queen’s Bluff.
The post card shows the road as gravel, so it for sure dates from before 1927.
And here’s what nearly the same location looks like today.
Also, the 2009-10 official highway maps are now available at the various rest areas across the state…or you could pick one up at the state fair.
It has finally come time to say good-bye to my trusty 91′ Honda Civic. I replaced it with a silver 03′ Civic, which so far is rust free, has airbags, has a hood that latches, and doesn’t overheat constantly! I took it out today on an expedition down U.S. 61, and was finally able to fully photograph every alignment between St. Paul and La Crosse! I am feverishly working on an update to the Historic U.S. 61 project, which when completed, will fully cover all of the old alignments south of St. Paul to La Crosse, complete with better maps and photographs. I estimate a month to completion.
In other news, a previous entry stated that State Highway 16 had been truncated at its junction with U.S. 61 and U.S. 14 in La Crescent. This information has turned out to be totally false! MnDOT’s records are currently incorrect, as the route is still signed to the Wisconsin state line. Perhaps an agreement has not yet been reached with WisDOT to truncate the route on the Wisconsin side.
I recently won this little gem on ebay. Its the first photographic proof I’ve seen that the U.S. routes shields shared the same posts as the state route shields before 1934. This photo had to have been taken at some point between 1926 and 1934 on the highway between La Crosse and St. Paul.
MnDOT has recently  released the list of construction projects for this year. From the looks of it, its going to quite a headache getting around this summer. You can take a look for yourself by following the link to MnDOT’s page here. I suggest taking a look to see if any highways in your area are up for reconstruction or realignment this year, and if so, you might want to get out and take a few quick shots before they’re changed / gone forever.
A few projects along U.S. 61 (a highway that you all probably know I’m a bit obsessed with at the moment) caught my eye. A three-mile section of Highway 61 north of Tofte along the north shore will be reconstructed this year. Also, four bridges near Dresbach (on the duplex with I-90) will be replaced.
“Highway Explorer” comes through again….this time with pics of an old iron bridge in Reads Landing in Wabasha County. This bridge is at the west end of 202nd Street, just north of modern U.S. 61. It is now used as a private entrance.
Although it was once part of the Wabasha Military Road, this bridge was never used by U.S. 61. The old military road passed through Reads Landing on its way to Camp Lacupolis, where it ascended out of the river valley and then followed modern County Roads 10 and 4 towards Lake City. The road was eventually moved to a new alignment that bypassed Reads Landing entirely.
The current alignment of U.S. 61 along the lake wasn’t constructed until 1930.
Hopefully you fellow road geeks out there were able to catch Cathy Wurzer’s new documentary on Highway 61, “Tales of the Road” on Monday Evening. If not, they’ll be replaying it this Saturday (March 28) at 8 PM. Its a must-see for anyone into highway history!
For more info on the doc, check out the official site here : www.talesoftheroad.net/
A companion book is also available (yours truly is cited in the references and internet resources!!) Cathy will be doing several guest appearances / book signings around the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota through the end of April – I’m sure she’d love to meet all of you hear any highway stories you have to tell! If you can’t make it to any those events, a podcast of her appearance at the University of Minnesota Bookstore will be available in a week (disclosure: I produce the podcast for the bookstore, just to clear up any potential conflicts of interest, don’t worry – its free!).
In other news, I’m currently working on finally replacing my old 91 Honda Civic. My wreck has lasted longer than I could have imagined, but I can’t have it preventing me from getting out on the road this summer, there are just too many old roads to see!
Comments? Corrections? Questions?: Email Me At: andrew@deadpioneer.com
All content © Andrew Munsch