1926-1951
1951-1967
1967-present
  • East: Milwaukee, WI
  • West: Orin, WY
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Summa
As of 2020, US 18 measured 1034.6 miles in total length.
From its 1926 inception until 1967, the west end of US 18 was at its junction with US 85 in Wyoming.  There has never been much of a settlement there, but like many highway intersections in Wyoming, this one has a name: Mule Creek Junction.  The interesting thing about this junction is that it has moved:
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c. 1951, Gousha
South of Newcastle, the original US 85 ran to the east of modern US 85, and the original Mule Creek Jct. was about six miles east of today's junction.  This photo was looking east on US 18:
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Grier, May 2007
​Today's Niobrara County Road 9 was originally US 85 -- the street signs still attest to that fact:
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Grier, May 2007
About a quarter-mile south of that intersection is the now-abandoned roadbed that carried traffic on the original US 18.  This photo was taken from old US 85, looking east along old US 18:
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Grier, May 2007
This photo was taken from the historic Y-junction, looking northwest along old US 85 towards Newcastle.  At far right are two semis on modern US 18:
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Grier, May 2007
Today's US 85 south of Newcastle was opened to traffic in 1951.  Because of this, it was necessary to extend US 18 west a few miles, so presumably that is also when the highway was changed to its current alignment.  This photo was from westbound US 18, at the "new" Mule Creek Jct:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004 (essentially the same as of 2020)
US 18 now extends further west via US 85, but that sign is at what was once the west end of US 18.  

​Here is the historic west beginning as seen from northbound US 85...
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004 (essentially the same as of 2020)
​...and next is a view from the opposite direction:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
In 1967, the designation was extended straight ahead from there along existing US routes down to Lusk, and then over to I-25.  These photos were looking west on US 18-20; just over the hillcrest is I-25's interchange 126:
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Sanderson, Aug. 1999
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004 (unchanged as of 2015)
The actual interchange is visible ​in the distance; here is a closer view:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
US 18 ends there, but US 20 continues west via I-25.  Here is the beginning of US 18 as seen from northbound I-25...
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004 (unchanged as of 2015)
​...and below is the first eastbound sign assembly:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
The east end of US 18 has always been in Milwaukee, but its exact location there has changed at least five times (maps and more info about historic endpoints can be found on the Milwaukee page).   The current terminus is somewhat unusual in that it is not at a junction with another highway.  US 18 winds up on Michigan Street in downtown Milwaukee, and the designation ends where it intersects Lincoln Memorial Drive along the shore of Lake Michigan.  This interactive image shows the last eastbound sign:
That is between Jackson and Van Buren streets; US 18 ends about three blocks ahead.  Here are a couple shots of the "End" assembly that was posted on eastbound Michigan until sometime between 2011 and 2014:
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Sanderson, Aug. 2005
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Sanderson, Aug. 2005
In 2005 there was no signage from either direction on Lincoln; the sign bridge shown here was installed between then and 2008:
Traffic heading the opposite direction (north on Lincoln) formerly saw a reference to US 18, but this marker was removed when the signal masts were replaced sometime between 2012 and 2015:
Heading left on Michigan, the first westbound US 18 marker was formerly posted in a couple blocks (just before Cass Street), but this sign was removed sometime between 2011 and 2014:
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Mortell, 1997
Research and/or photo credits: Chris Geelhart; Tom Grier; Jeff Morrison; Robert Mortell; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 1998;
last updated Oct. 28, 2020.