| American Veterans Memorial
Highway |
|
Distance:
275 miles Routing: I-90 Comments: The portion of I-90 that's concurent with US 14 and 61 is one of the most overdesignated sections of highway. It is also designated the Trooper Ted Foss Memorial Highway, the Hiawatha Pioneer Trail, the Voyageur Highway, and the Disabled American Veterans Highway. It seems everyone wants a major highway to be named after something. Signed only at rest area entrances. |
| Amish Buggy Byway |
|
Distance:
20 miles Routing: US 52 from Prosper to Preston Comments: Not actually an official scenic byway. As the name implies, there are a large number of Amish people in this region of the state, who came fairly recently in the 1960s. According to one report, extra wide paved shoulders were built to allow for buggy travel, but paved shoulders are now standard procedure on heavily traveled routes in Minnesota. This area of the state, known as the Driftless Area, is very scenic because the last glaciers missed it, allowing the streams time to cut deep valleys. |
| C. Elmer Anderson Memorial Highway |
|
Distance:
6 miles Routing: MN 371 around Brainerd Comments: After the Brainerd Bypass opened, people realized how nice it looked before billboards had a chance to move in, and so billboards were prohibited by state law, much to the dismay of Brainerd area businesses. Brainerd also led an unsuccessful attempt to call this "New 371", so presumably people would think that the route through the city was still the mainline. The only portion of MN 371 not designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway. Clyde Elmer Anderson (1912-1998) was a Minnesota Governor from Brainerd. |
| Blue Star Memorial
Highway |
| Distance: Routing: I-35, I-35W, I-35E, I-535, I-94 Comments: Mentioned on a plaque at some rest areas, but never on the highway itself. Part of a national effort to honor miltary personal. (Blue stars were displayed on homes of families that had people in service during World War II) |
| State Trooper Timothy J. Bowe
Memorial Highway |
|
Distance:
14 miles Routing: MN 95 from Cambridge to North Branch Comments: Trooper Bowe (1961-1997) was killed in a gun battle near this highway. |
| Capitol Highway |
|
Distance: Routing: The Iowa border to Anoka generally on or near MN 56 Comments: Probably promoted as a gateway from southern Minnesota to the capitol. First named route designated. All the signs I've seen are in poor condition, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one fades into history like some of the other older routes. |
| Theodore Christianson Drive |
| Distance: Routing: MN 7 east of Montevideo and a few roads in the Dawson Area Comments: Theodore Christianson (1883-1948) was a Republican governor of the state between 1924 to 1931 from Dawson. |
| Colvill Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 74
miles Routing: MN 19 east of Gaylord Comments: Colonel William Colvill (1830-1905) led the First Minnesota Regiment in the Civil War battle of Gettysburg in 1863. |
| Czech Heritage Highway |
|
Distance: 8
miles Routing: MN 13 & 21 from Montgomery to New Prague Comments: Many Czech emmigrants settled in this area. New Prague still has some eastern European influenced architecture. One of the newer designations. The state statutue says that the signs should read "Czech Heritage Highway or similar name honoring the heritage of the area", so I guess Mn/DOT substituted "Memorial" out of habit. |
| Disabled American Veterans Highway |
|
Distance: 120
miles Routing: US 61 south of St. Paul Comments: Also the name of the rest area along this highway at Lake City. |
| State Trooper Theodore "Ted"
Foss Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 42
miles Routing: I-90 east of MN 74 Comments: Trooper Foss (1965-2000) was killed by an errant semi-truck while making a traffic stop near Lewiston. Although there are no signs along the I-90 mainline, there is a large, full color sign with his portrait at the Dresbach Rest Area. |
| Glacial Ridge Trail |
|
|
Distance: 220
miles Routing: Back roads in the Willmar & Alexandria area. Comments: This is a good area of the state to view evidence of glacial activity such as lakes, drumlins, and eskers. The Glacial Ridge Trail is now also a scenic byway. Older signs are still common and are square without the "Scenic Byway" line at the bottom . |
| B. E. Grottum Memorial Highway |
|
|
Distance: 1
mile Routing: US 71 in Jackson Comments: B.E. Grottum, born 1893, lived in Jackson and was a Minnesota Senator from 1947 to 1951 |
| Olof Hanson Drive |
|
|
Distance:
1 mile Routing: MN 299 Comments: Olof Hanson (1862-1933) was possibly the nation's first deaf architect, who once taught at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault which MN 299 serves. |
| Ruby L. Hughes Boulevard |
| Distance: 1
block Routing: A portion of the MN 55 frontage road in Minneapolis Comments: This is an odd one since it is so short and is only one of two not at least partially a trunk highway.Why they needed a legislative act to rename a block long city street is beyond me. Ruby L. Hughes was killed in a domestic incident on the eve of the first annual "March for Peace" in north Minneapolis. She had founded and directed the La Creche Early Childhood Center, which is located on the frontage road. This street (boulevard is stretching it) is marked by a standard Minneapolis street sign. |
| Hiawatha Appleblossom Scenic Drive |
|
Distance: 19
miles Routing: County roads near Le Crescent. Comments: Better know as simply the Apple Blossom Drive, it winds it's way through apple orchards in the blufflands of southeastern Minnesota. Now designated a scenic byway. The pther named route not at least partially a trunk highway. |
| Hiawatha Pioneer Trail |
|
Distance: Routing: From La Crescent to Lake Benton, then doubling back to Jackson, plus serveral alternate routes. Comments: The Hiawatha Pioneer trail was apparently an effort to promote tourism in Minnesota and neighboring states, but has now faded into history. The trail was even marked on vintage official highway maps. Existing signs are decrepit and likely to be removed in the near future, the only ones I've noticed still standing are on US 61. |
| John A. Johnson Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 55
miles Routing: US 169 from St. Peter to I-494 Comments: Inlcludes the new Bloomington Ferry Bridge. Marked as "Johnson Memorial Drive" on some maps but not marked as such on directional signs nor commonly know by this name. |
| King of Trails |
|
Distance: 408
miles Routing: US 75 Comments: The newest named highway, sponsored by the towns along the route. The King of Trails was in fact the historic Auto Trail name for this road before the trunk highway system was comissioned in 1920. |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway |
|
Distance: Routing: [Generally] US 14 west of Rochester, US 52 south of Rochester, US 63 north of Rochester Comments: Laura Ingalls Wilder was of course the famous author of childrens books. This highway connects four towns where she grew up: De Smet SD, Walnut Grove MN, Burr Oak IA and Pepin WI. |
| George Mann Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 85
miles Routing: US 169 between Brewster and Mankato Comments: George Mann was a politician from Windom. |
| Richard J. Mathiowetz Memorial
Highway |
|
Distance: 25
miles Routing: MN 4 between St. James and Sleepy Eye Comments: Richard Mathiowetz (1935-1999) was a philanthropist in the Sleepy Eye area. The construction company bearing his name bids on many state highway projects. |
| P. H. McGarry Memorial Drive |
|
| Distance: a
couple of miles Routing: MN 371 in Walker Comments: P.H. McGarry was a Cass County comissioner from Walker, appointed in 1897. |
|
| Minnesota Veterans Memorial Highway | |
|
Distance: 160
miles Routing: US 212. Concurrent with Yellowstone Highway Comments: I'd rather they have picked a different road for this rather than displacing the Yellowstone Trail. |
| Moberg Trail |
|
Distance: 22 miles Routing: US 8 Comments: Swedish author Vilhem Moberg (1898-1973) wrote about the Swedish immigrates to the area, and traveled here in the 1950s. The design of the signs is based on a statue of him in a local park. |
| Wally Nelson Highway |
| Distance: 1
mile Routing: MN 330 Comments: A very short route through the University of Minnesota Agriculture Station near Tracy. I'm not sure if this is the right person, but there was a Wally Nelson (1909-2002) who was an environmental activist out east. |
| Floyd B. Olson Memorial Highway |
| Distance: Routing: MN 55 Comments: The only named highway colloquially known by it's name, at least in the Twin Cities. Memorializes Floyd. B. Olson (1891-1936), a former populist governer of the state and head of the Farmer-Labor party (since merged with the Democratic Party). Olson was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, but died abruptly of stomach cancer. During the 2004 the Minnesota Taxpayer's League, a conservative lobbyist group, campaigned to have the highway renamed for Ronald Reagan. Olson was not a communist, despite claims by his rivals, but the Taxpayer's League's point was that extreme socialist views have also wound up on the "ashheap of history". Like most Taxpayer League proposals, this created a huge ruckus, but nothing became of it. Reagan may get a highway yet. There was a proposal in the 2005 legislature to designate I-494 and I-694 the "Ronald Reagan Beltway". Stay tuned... |
| Otter Tail Veterans Memorial Drive |
| Distance: 4
miles Routing: US 59 near Pelican Rapids Comments: |
| Paul Bunyan Expressway |
|
Distance: 126
miles Routing: MN 371 except for Brainerd bypass; US 2 from Cass Lake to Bemidji Comments: Mostly not an expressway, and not likely to be one for a long time. Major route from the Twin Cities into northern resort areas with heavy traffic relative to other roads in the area. They should have thought of something more creative than a white on green text sign for this one. |
| POW / MIA Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 74
miles Routing: US 169 between Elk River and Garrison, then MN 18 to Brainerd Comments: US 169 section is mostly expressway now, scheduled to all be upgraded in the next few years. Another major route to the northern resort areas. |
| Don Rickers Memorial Highway |
| Distance: 6
miles Routing: MN 60 from Worthington to Brewster Comments: |
| Arthur V. Rohweder Memorial Highway |
| Distance:
21 Miles Routing: MN 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors Comments: Arthur Rohweder was a safety advocate for a north shore railroad in the early part of the century. No markers on the highway, but there is a plaque at a wayside. The North Shore Scenic Drive and Lake Superior Circle Tour do not run concurrent but follow the old alignent of US 61 which is now a county road. |
| 34th Infantry (Red Bull) Division
Highway |
|
Distance: 215
miles Routing: I-35 from Iowa to Duluth, then I-535 to Wisconsin. Comments: Iowa also has a highway honoring the Red Bull Division, appropriately enough US 34. It would have been cute for Minnesota to do the same with MN 34, but that route is a long ways from the Twin Cities and already was the Lake Country Scenic Byway. |
| Sioux Trail |
| Distance: Routing: Comments: Like the Hiawatha Pioneer Trail, this is a long, obscure route across southern Minnesota that is no longer signed. |
| Veterans Memorial Highway (I) |
|
Distance: 33
miles Routing: MN 15 south of MN 60 Comments: |
| Veterans Memorial Highway (II) |
|
|
Distance: 7
miles Routing: MN 115 Comments: Basically an access road to the Camp Ripley Military Reservation. |
| Veterans Evergreen Memorial Drive |
|
Distance: 50
miles Routing: MN 23 east of I-35 Comments: A scenic, esoteric alternate to I-35 to Duluth. Like the C. Elmer Anderson highway, billboards are prohibited by state law. Dedicated to the veterans of Carlton, Pine, and St. Louis counties. Passes by Jay Cooke State Park, as well as several waysides. The legislation calls for a bronze plaque to be installed, but I like the present signs. |
| Victory Drive |
|
Distance: 16
miles Routing: MN 22 from Mapleton to Mankato Comments: |
| Viking Trail |
|
Distance: Routing: Back roads in the Alexandria / Fergus Falls / Detroit Lakes / Moorhead area Comments: Part concurrent with Otter Tail Scenic Byway. The Kensington Runestone was found in this area. Although currently regarded as a hoax, it claims Vikings explored this area well before Columbus. Only one of two routes to have a sign design specified by the legislature |
| Voyageurs Highway |
|
Distance: Routing: Starting at MN 26 at Iowa, up north to I-Falls, then back down to Bemidji Comments: Only the portion in the northern part of the state is marked. |
| Dale Wayrynen Memorial Highway |
| Distance: Routing: MN 210 in Aitkin County Comments: Dale Wayrynen (1947-1967) was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner who was killed in action in the Vietnam War. Wayrynen threw himself on a grenade that was tossed into his company, undoubtedly saving many lives. |
| Yellowstone Trail |
| Distance: 160 miles Routing: US 212 Comments: The original designation of what is now US 212 from the auto trail days. One of the first names written into law, but unfortunately not now marked anywhere along the highway. |