Tracking US Highway 12 in 1926

Probably my favorite US Highway is Route 12. I grew up most of my life near that road, starting with 7th grade in 1963 to 1970, living in Palatine, Illinois, and continuing ever since 1975 to the present.

I have driven the road many times, and especially today living in Spring Grove about a half mile from it.

Looking at that 1926 map prepared by AASHTO that laid out the US Highway Network:

EASTERN TERMINUS was in Detroit and it went through An Arbor, Michigan to Kalamazoo to the shores of Lake Michigan. Then it hugged the shore south to Michigan City, Indiana and then around to Chicago.

From Chicago it headed northwest into Wisconsin where it passed through Madison and Eau Claire. From southeast of Eau Claire to Minneapolis, Minnesota it was duplexed with US-10.

It went to Ortonville, Minnesota to Aberdeen, South Dakota (I believe US-12 had its own version of Cyrus Avery at this town who wanted 12 to go through and in front of his place there.

After running along South Dakota's northern stretches, 12 entered North Dakota's southwest corner a short time before entering Montana and ending at Miles City which was US-12's western terminus at the time.

Of interest, i was looking at historic Illinois road maps in the Route 66 Association of Illinois' website and found that no US Highways were shown until the 1929 map, even though they had already been in place since 1926.

The Road to the Northwest, Both Old and New. --RoadDog