Minnesota State Highway 61
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Trunk Highway 61 |
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| Length: | 151 mi (243 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1991 | ||||||||
| South end: |  I-35 in Duluth |
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| North end: | Ontario 61 in Grand Portage | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Duluth Two Harbors Silver Bay Grand Marais |
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Minnesota State Highway 61 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from the junction of Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota 61 in Duluth (at 26th Avenue East) and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the U.S.-Canadian border near Grand Portage. The road becomes Ontario Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the Pigeon River Bridge, and terminates in Thunder Bay.
The route is a scenic highway, following the North Shore of Lake Superior, and is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour designation that runs through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
This roadway was designated U.S. Highway 61 up until 1991. This highway (then U.S. 61) is the road that musician Bob Dylan referred to in the album and song Highway 61 Revisited.
Minnesota 61 is one of three state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. marked highway within the state, the others being Highways 65 and 169.
Minnesota Highway 61 is 151 miles in length and passes through the following communities:
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[edit] Route and features
Minnesota Highway 61 serves as a northeast-southwest route between Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and the Canadian border in northeast Minnesota.
21-miles of Highway 61 from Duluth to Two Harbors is a four-lane expressway officially designated the Arthur Rohweder Memorial Highway, however there are no markers on the highway showing this, but there is a plaque at a wayside.
Minnesota Highway 61 passes through the counties of:
The road is located close to and in many places next to Lake Superior. Sights include forests, wildlife, cliffs, state parks, and a national monument.
[edit] Forests
Highway 61 passes through the Superior National Forest and the Grand Portage State Forest in Cook County.
[edit] State Parks
The following state parks are located on Highway 61:
- Gooseberry Falls State Park is located 13-miles northeast of Two Harbors in Lake County.
(Gooseberry Falls State Park - Link)
- Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is located in Lake County between Two Harbors and Silver Bay.
(Split Rock Lighthouse State Park - Link)
- Tettegouche State Park is located in Lake County at the base of the Baptism River. The park is located immediately northeast of Silver Bay.
(Tettegouche State Park - Link)
- Temperance River State Park is located immediately northeast of Schroeder in Cook County.
(Temperance River State Park - Link)
- Cascade River State Park is located in Cook County between Lutsen and Grand Marais.
(Cascade River State Park - Link)
- Judge C. R. Magney State Park is located on the banks of the Brule River. The park is located 14-miles northeast of Grand Marais in Cook County.
(Judge C. R. Magney State Park - Link)
- Grand Portage State Park is located in Cook County on the banks of the Pigeon River. The town of Grand Portage is nearby.
(Grand Portage State Park - Link)
[edit] Landmark
The Grand Portage National Monument is located adjacent to the town of Grand Portage on Highway 61.
(National Parks Service - Grand Portage National Monument - Link)
[edit] Features
A listing of more attractions located on or near Highway 61 is at North Shore (Lake Superior).
[edit] Termini
The southern terminus for Minnesota 61 is its junction with Interstate Highway 35 in Duluth in northeast Minnesota.
(Located in Duluth at 26th Avenue East, this is also the national northern terminus for I-35.)
The northern terminus for Minnesota 61 is at the U.S.-Canadian border (near Grand Portage, Minn.), where it becomes Highway 61 upon entering Canada at the Pigeon River Bridge.
[edit] History
Minnesota Highway 61 was designated and signed in 1991.
Minnesota 61 was originally part of U.S. Highway 61 from 1926 to 1991.
After construction of I-35 in the 1960s, U.S. 61 overlapped I-35 until 1991. During that year, U.S. 61 was decommissioned from the Canadian border south to its present day junction with I-35 at the city of Wyoming, Minn. (near Forest Lake). The section of U.S. 61 north of Duluth was re-designated Minnesota 61 that same year.
[edit] Early History
Highway 61 (between Duluth and the Canadian border) was commissioned as part of U.S. Highway 61 in 1926, ready for use by 1929, and paved by 1940.
The section of Highway 61 from Hovland to the Pigeon River formerly ran inland, bypassing Grand Portage. The new highway alignment and border crossing were constructed in the early 1960s.
The Highway 61 expressway between Duluth and Two Harbors was constructed inland in the 1960s. The state then turned over management of the original U.S. 61 (between Duluth and Two Harbors) to St. Louis and Lake counties. The two counties then re-designated this section as "County 61 / Scenic 61".
[edit] References
- Adam Froehlig (December 20, 2002). Minnesota Highway 61. MN Highway Endings. Accessed August 27, 2004.
- Steve Riner (December 27, 2003). Details of Routes 51-75. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Accessed August 27, 2004.
