Historic type of marked roadway
The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles , the trails were intended to help travellers in the early days of the automobile .
Auto trails were usually marked and sometimes maintained by organizations of private individuals. Some, such as the Lincoln Highway , maintained by the Lincoln Highway Association, were well-known and well-organized, while others were the work of fly-by-night promoters, to the point that anyone with enough paint and the will to do so could set up a trail. Trails were not usually linked to road improvements, although counties and states often prioritized road improvements because they were on trails.
In the mid-to-late 1920s, the auto trails were essentially replaced with the United States Numbered Highway System . The Canadian provinces had also begun implementing similar numbering schemes.
List of auto trails
Name
North or east end
South or west end
U.S. Highways (approximate, based on 1926 plan and later additions)
Notes
Albert Pike Highway
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Colorado Springs, Colorado
US 270 , US 64 , US 183 , US 154 , US 50 , US 85
Aroostook Trail
Old Town, Maine
Fairfield, Maine
Maine Route 100 , US 2
Arrowhead Trail
Salt Lake City, Utah
Los Angeles, California
US 91
Atlantic Highway
Calais, Maine
Miami, Florida
US 1 , US 25 , US 17 , US 1
Atlantic-Pacific Highway
New York, New York
Los Angeles, California
US 1 , US 211 , US 15 , US 33 , US 60 , US 52 , US 460 , US 50 , US 54 , US 70 , US 60
Atlantic Yellowstone Pacific Highway
Chicago, Illinois
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
US 20 , US 218 , US 18
Baltimore Pike
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Baltimore, Maryland
Bankhead Highway
Washington, D.C.
San Diego, California
US 1 , US 15 , US 70 , US 170 , US 29 , US 78 , US 70, US 67 , US 80
Bee Line Highway
Chicago, Illinois
New Orleans, Louisiana
US 51
Ben Hur Highway
St. Louis, Missouri
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Black and Yellow Trail
Chicago, Illinois
Yellowstone National Park
US 41 , US 16 , US 14 , US 16, US 20
Blackhawk Highway
Dixon, Illinois
Beloit, Wisconsin
IL 2 , IL 251 , US 51
Broadway Of America
New York City, New York
San Diego, California
US 80 , Arizona 87 , Arizona 84 , US 80, US 67 , US 70 , US 41 , US 70S , US 70, US 11W , US 11 , US 211 , US 1 , US 40 , US 13 , US 1
Later addition auto trail, established in 1930. One alignment used Arizona 87 and Arizona 84 between Gila Bend and Tucson, another followed US 80 between both cities.[ 1] [ 2]
California-Banff Bee Line
Cannon Ball Route
Chicago, Illinois
Hannibal, Missouri
Capital Route
Omaha, Nebraska
Austin, Texas
Chicago, Kansas City and Gulf Highway
Chicago, Illinois
Galveston, Texas
Colorado to Gulf Highway
Denver, Colorado
Galveston, Texas , and Brownsville, Texas
US 85 , US 385 , US 370 , US 81 , US 181
Columbia River Highway
Pendleton, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
US 30
Cooley Highway
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Sisseton, South Dakota
Cornhusker Highway
Sioux City, Iowa
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Custer Battlefield Highway
Omaha, Nebraska
Glacier National Park
US 75 , US 16 , US 116 , US 87E , US 87
Dallas-Canadian-Denver Highway
Boulder, Colorado
Galveston, Texas
US 85 , US 50 , US 83 , US 70 , US 77
Daniel Webster Highway
Chartierville, Quebec
Franconia, New Hampshire
Detroit-Lincoln-Denver Highway
Detroit , Michigan
Denver, Colorado
US 12 , US 32 , US 38
Dixie Highway
Chicago, Illinois and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Miami, Florida
Illinois 1 , US 136 , US 31 , Indiana 37 , US 150 , US 31W
Dixie Bee Line
Chicago, Illinois
Nashville, Tennessee
US 41 , US 241
Dixie Overland Highway
Savannah, Georgia
San Diego, California
US 80 , US 84 , US 380 , US 366 , US 80
Egyptian Trail
Chicago, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Electric Highway (Auto trail)
Forsyth, Montana
Helena, Montana
US 12 , US 89
Evergreen National Highway
Victoria, British Columbia
El Paso, Texas
US 99 , US 10 , US 97 , US 410 , US 95 , US 30 , US 30N , US 91 , US 95, US 66
Florida Short Route
French Lick Route
Cincinnati, Ohio
Evansville, Indiana
US 50 , State Road 37 , US 150 , State Road 56 , US 231 , and State Road 62
George Washington Memorial Highway
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Agawam, Massachusetts
George Washington National Highway
Savannah, Georgia
Seattle, Washington
Geysers-to-Glaciers Highway
Glacier National Park
Yellowstone National Park
US 89 W from West Yellowstone to Shelby, Montana ; US 2 from Shelby to Cut Bank, Montana ; and MT 213 from Cut Bank to the Canada–US border[ 3] [ 4]
Glacier to Gulf Motorway
Calgary , Alberta
Tampico, Mexico
Glacier Trail
Seattle, Washington
Jacksonville, Florida
Grant Highway
Chicago, Illinois
Portland, Oregon
US 20
Great Plains Road
Portal, North Dakota
Brownsville, Texas
Great White Way
Davenport, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
US 6
Also known as the White Pole Road
International Peace Highway
Quebec, Quebec , and Rouses Point, New York
Laredo, Texas , and Mexico City , Mexico
Jackson Highway
Chicago, Illinois
New Orleans, Louisiana
US 152 , US 52 , US 31 , US 168 , US 68 , US 31, US 43 , US 45 , US 11
Jefferson Highway
Winnipeg , Manitoba
New Orleans, Louisiana
US 59 , US 2 , US 71 , US 10N , US 10 , US 65 , US 69 , US 71 /US 73E , US 73 , US 75 , US 69 , US 67 , US 271 , US 80 , US 171 , US 71, US 61
Jefferson Davis National Highway
Washington, D.C.
San Diego, California
US 1 , US 278 , US 29 , US 80 , US 43 , US 90 , US 96 , US 277 , US 90
King of Trails
Winnipeg , Manitoba
Galveston, Texas , and Brownsville, Texas
US 75 /US 81 , US 75/US 77 , US 75, US 73 , US 73E , US 50 , US 73W , US 75, US 77, US 81 , US 181 , US 96
Lackawanna Trail
Binghamton, New York
Delaware, New Jersey
US 11 ,[ 5] [unreliable source? ] US 611 [ 6] [unreliable source? ]
Lakes to Gulf Highway
Duluth, Minnesota
Galveston, Texas
Lakes-to-Sea Highway
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Erie, Pennsylvania
US 30 , US 120 , US 22 , US 322 , US 19
Lee Highway
New York, New York
San Francisco, California
US 1 , US 211 , US 11 , US 72 , US 70 , US 366 , US 80 , US 180 , US 80, US 101
Lewis and Clark Highway
Missoula, Montana
Lewiston, Idaho
Liberty Highway
New York, New York
Cleveland, Ohio
New Jersey 4 , New Jersey 17 , New York 17 , New York 430 , New York 394 , US 20 [ 7]
Lincoln Highway
New York, New York
San Francisco, California
US 1 , US 30 , US 40 , US 93 , US 50 , US 99 , US 48
Logan-Lee Highway
Rock Island, Illinois
Paducah, Kentucky
US 67 , Illinois 3
Lone Star Route
Chicago, Illinois
Lake Charles, Louisiana (earlier Brownsville, Texas )
US 66 , US 67 , US 63 , US 165
Lone Star Trail
St. Augustine, Florida
Los Angeles, California
US 1 , US 90 , US 84 , US 67 , US 290 , US 80 , Arizona 86 , US 80, , Arizona 84 , Maricopa–Casa Grande Highway (Arizona), Gila Bend–Maricopa Highway (Arizona) , US 80
Magnolia Route
Meridian Highway
Winnipeg , Manitoba
Mexico City , Mexico
US 81
Mississippi River Scenic Highway
Winnipeg , Manitoba , and Port Arthur, Ontario
Fort Myers, Florida and Port Arthur, Texas
US 75 , US 2 , US 71 , US 10N , US 10 , US 61 , US 55 , US 61, US 90 ; US 49E , US 49 , US 98 , US 90 , US 19 , US 41
Mississippi Valley Highway
Ely, Minnesota
Gulfport, Mississippi (earlier New Orleans, Louisiana )
US 53 , US 61 , US 55 , US 161 , US 67 , US 51 , US 45 , US 11 , US 49
Earlier known as the Burlington Way
National Old Trails Road
Washington, D.C. , and Baltimore, Maryland
Los Angeles, California
US 240 /US 40 , US 40, US 50N , US 50 , US 350 , US 85 , US 70 , US 66
National Park-to-Park Highway
Loop connecting National Parks
US 99 , US 48 , US 40 , US 99E , US 99, US 10 , US 195 , US 95 , US 2 , US 87 , US 87W , US 20 , US 185 , US 85 , US 50 , US 285 , US 450 , US 550 , US 64 , US 666 , US 66
National Parks Highway
Boston, Massachusetts , and New York, New York
Seattle, Washington
Also known as the Northwest Trail
National Roosevelt Midland Trail
Washington, D.C. and Newport News, Virginia (earlier Oyster Bay, New York )
Los Angeles, California
US 60 , US 150 , US 50 , US 40 , US 40N , US 40, US 40S , US 50, US 6
New Santa Fe Trail
Kansas City, Mo.
Los Angeles
US 50 , US 350 , US 85 , US 66
Old Oregon Trail
Independence, Missouri
Seaside, Oregon , and Olympia, Washington
US 40 , US 30 , US 26 , US 20 , US 87E , US 30N , US 30
Old Spanish Trail
St. Augustine, Florida
San Diego, California
US 1 , US 90 , US 80
Ozark Trails
Kansas City, Missouri , Hannibal, Missouri , St. Louis, Missouri , and Memphis, Tennessee
Denver, Colorado , Las Vegas, New Mexico , and El Paso, Texas
Pacific Highway
Vancouver , British Columbia
San Diego, California
US 99 , US 40 , US 101
Pershing Way
Winnipeg , Manitoba
New Orleans, Louisiana
Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway
New York, New York
Los Angeles, California (earlier San Francisco, California )
US 22 , US 250 , US 36 , US 136 , US 36, US 40N , US 40S , US 50 , US 91
Also known as the Pershing Transport Route
Puget Sound-to-Gulf Highway
Red Ball Route
River-to-River Road
Davenport, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Southern National Highway
Southwest Trail
Chicago, Illinois
El Paso, Texas
US 32 , US 65 , US 50S , US 81 , US 160 , US 281 , US 60 , US 366
Susquehanna Trail
Buffalo, New York
Washington, D.C.
US 20 , US 15 , US 111 /US 240
Theodore Roosevelt International Highway
Portland, Maine
Portland, Oregon
US 302 , US 2 , US 11 , US 104 , US 23 , US 2, US 95 , US 195 , US 295 , US 410 , US 30
Three C Highway
Cleveland, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio SR 3
Transprovincial Highway
Ottawa
Toronto
Later Ontario Highway 2 and Ontario Highway 15
Victory Highway
New York, New York
San Francisco, California
US 1 , US 40 , US 40S , US 83 , US 40N , US 40
White River Trail
Springfield, Missouri
Ponca City, Oklahoma
White-way 7 Highway
Chicago, Illinois
Omaha, Nebraska
US 32
In Iowa, created from segments of the River to River Road from Davenport to Redfield, and the Great White Way from Dexter to Council Bluffs.
William Penn Highway
New York, New York
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
US 22
Yellowstone Highway
Denver, Colorado
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Trail
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Seattle, Washington
US 20 , US 30 , US 41 , US 110 , US 10 , US 212 , US 12 , US 10, US 195 , US 295 , US 410 , US 97 , US 10
See also
References
^ Jensen, Jeff (2013). Drive the Broadway of America! . Tucson: Bygone Byways. ISBN 9780978625900 .
^ Broadway Of America (Map). 1:5,300,000. Washington, D.C.: American Automobile Association. 1932. Retrieved March 28, 2023 .
^ Baranowski, Shelley; Furlough, Ellen (2001). Being Elsewhere: Tourism, Consumer Culture, and Identity in Modern Europe and North America . Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press. pp. 168– 169.
^ Department of the Interior / National Park Service (1920). "Automobile Highway Information" . Rules and Regulations Yellowstone National Park, 1920. Season June 20 to September 15 . Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp. 21– 23.
^ Kitsko, Jeffrey. "US 11" . Pennsylvania Highways . Self-published. Retrieved January 16, 2013 .
^ Kitsko, Jeffrey. "US 611 (Decommissioned)" . Pennsylvania Highways . Self-published. Retrieved January 16, 2013 .
^ Johnston, R. J. (April 4, 1918). "The Liberty Highway: Touring and Driveaway Route Between Cleveland and New York" . Motor Age . 33 (14): 72– 75. Retrieved January 16, 2013 .
External links
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