End of US highway 8 |
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1926-1929
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1929-1930
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1930-1979
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1979-present
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Summa
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Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 281 miles for US 8. That closely matches our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 279.6 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
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US 8 was originally supposed to begin at US 41 in Powers MI. The following excerpt is from AASHO's April 1927 route log:
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The route was to be signed with US 2 west to Hermansville, then southwesterly through Faithorn, crossing the Menominee River near there into Wisconsin; it was to connect with its current route at or near Pembine WI:
c. 1927, Rand McNally
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However, despite what that map showed, a direct road between Pembine and Hermansville has never been built. So when US 8 was first actually implemented, it appears to have been routed north from Pembine with US 141 to US 2 between Iron Mountain and Quinnesec MI. It is unclear whether it was co-signed east with US 2 to Powers -- or actually, whether it was even signed at all before 1929. At any rate, it was only a few years before the east end of US 8 was shifted to its current terminus at Norway. These photos were taken looking north on Brown Street, approaching 7th Avenue (US 2)...
Dienhart, Dec. 2017
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Morrison, June 2018
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Camp, Sep. 2001
...but that assembly has since been moved and replaced with a new design:
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Morrison, June 2018
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...and here we are looking west on 7th approaching Brown:
Allen, 2002
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Lindsay, 1965 (linked to source)
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Allen, June 2009
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If a traveler takes that left turn, they will soon see the first westbound marker:
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Mortell, 1996
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Morrison, June 2018
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The original west end of US 8 was at US 61 in Wyoming. From Chisago City, US 8 followed what would later become MN hwy. 98 to Wyoming, and what is now Chisago County route 22:
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c. 1927, Rand McNally
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In town, this is apparently known as Rumohr Avenue or Wyoming Trail. The view in this photo was looking west on CR 22:
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Castleman, Oct. 2005
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That was the original west end of US 8. As of this writing, US 61 still serves Wyoming; it runs along what is locally called Superior Street, Forest Boulevard, and/or Chisago CR 30. In 1930 the west end of US 8 was extended to Minneapolis. Over the years it had a couple different termini there, as we will see below. But first, an interesing note about dates: it was 1976 when Minnesota obtained permission from AASHTO to truncate the US 8 designation out of Minneapolis. Here is that agenda item from the minutes of their meeting in July of that year...
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...but despite that, I have heard that US 8 remained in Minneapolis for another five years. From 1930 all the way to 1978, US 8 was signposted to a terminus at the intersection of 3rd and Washington (see the Minneapolis page). Then from 1978-1981 the terminus was truncated to the intersection of Broadway and New Brighton Boulevard. This photo was looking east on Broadway:
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Castleman, May 2004
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To the left, New Brighton heads off at a northeasterly angle -- the car turning that direction is at the former west beginning of US 8. It is unusual that the US 8 designation ended here, since Broadway was not designated as a highway. But there is an interchange with I-35W just to the left, and since New Brighton extends only another quarter-mile to this intersection, maybe the state figured they might as well just maintain the entire road...
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...but that lasted only about three years, anyway: in 1979 the US 8 designation was truncated to its current location in Forest Lake. This photo was taken where US 8 merges with I-35 at partial-interchange 132:
Osbaldeston, Sep. 2002
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Kasprzyk, summer 2016
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The flyover in the distance is also visible in this photo, which was taken from northbound I-35 at the west beginning of US 8:
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Castleman, summer 2002
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Traffic on southbound I-35 does not have direct access to US 8. Rather, drivers are directed to exit at Broadway, head east, and then north:
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Kasprzyk, summer 2016
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Drivers exiting there will soon see the first eastbound marker:
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Nitzman, Apr. 2007
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The signage in the distance is in reference to US 8's first junction, which is with US 61. Jeff Morrison's page has more photos and commentary regarding this terminus.
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Research and/or photo credits: Patrick Allen; Christopher Bessert; Barry Camp; Monte Castleman; Paul Dienhart; Bruce Kasprzyk; Jim Lindsay; Tyler Mace; Jeff Morrison; Robert Mortell; Alex Nitzman; Greg Osbaldeston; Steve Riner; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2002;
last updated Dec. 11, 2023.
last updated Dec. 11, 2023.
