Historic U.S. 61: Old Hwy 61 at the Carlton/St. Louis County Line
Old Hwy 61 at the Carlton/St. Louis County Line
Located In: Thompson Township, Carlton County; Midway Township, St. Louis County.
Bypassed: 1949
Length: 0.55 miles.
Also Marked As:
Until 1934
More U.S. 61 Articles
North >> Old Hwy 61 and Thompson Hill Road
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History
"Old Hwy 61" at the Carlton/St. Louis County line was once part of the first paved highway between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The road here was originally paved with concrete, 18 feet wide, in the early 1920's (the road was completed east of the county line in 1923, and west of the county line in 1924). The old road remained in use until 1949, when a new divided highway (now County Road 61) was completed just to the south (this road was eventually replaced by I-35).
Current Status
The old highway is now a local road. It is accessible on its west end via a service drive along County Road 61, just northwest of the interchange with I-35. The road ends on the east at County Road 73, aka "Old Hwy 61", which in fact not the old highway, but a service drive constructed at the same time as I-35 in late 1970's. The road is almost fully intact, with just a light layer of asphalt covering the old concrete pavement.
Photos
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Looking east on County Road 61. On the left you can see the old highway veering away into the trees.
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Looking west on County Road 73. The east end of "Old Hwy 61" is visible on the right ascending the hill (I-35 is just to the left).
