Historic US highway endpoint in Des Moines, IA
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1927-1938
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When the US routes were originally commissioned in 1926, US 63 did not serve Minnesota or Wisconsin as it does today. Instead, at Oskaloosa IA, US 63 was routed essentially along what is now IA hwy. 163, ending in Des Moines:
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c. 1930, IADoT
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Where exactly was its endpoint? A map that was printed in the October 17, 1926, Des Moines Register pretty clearly spelled it out:
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The notation "63 starts" points to the intersection of East 14th Street and Grand Avenue. Following are some photos from that junction, taken 80 years later. This first one was looking west on Grand at 14th:
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Morrison, July 2005
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The car in the foreground was stopped at what was once the north end of US 63 (and later the north end of US 163). Westbound US 32 continued straight ahead, and that was also southbound US 65. Northbound US 65 was to the right -- a movement that can no longer be made, as 14th is now one-way southbound (today it carries southbound US 69). In the distance, part of the gold dome of the State Capitol is visible. Here we are looking north on 14th at Grand:
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Morrison, July 2005
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US 65 was ahead and to the left, and US 32 ran across the photo. The beginning of US 63 and 163 was to the right. The view in this next photo was from the opposite direction (south on 14th):
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Morrison, July 2005
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Today that is southbound US 69, but originally it was southbound US 65, which continued to the right. The black car was heading east on Grand -- historically that was eastbound US 32, and east of this junction it was also US 63. In 1932, US 32 was swallowed up by US 6, but the endpoint of US 63 stayed the same. In 1934, US 63 was changed to its current corridor (north from Oskaloosa), and at that time, US 163 was commissioned to run along former US 63 between Oskaloosa and Des Moines:
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c. 1935, IADoT
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That route also ended at 14th and Grand, for about four years, and then US 163 was decommissioned. Much more info and maps about highways in Des Moines are available on Jason Hancock's page and on Jeff Morrison's page.
Research and/or photo credits: Jason Hancock; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 2003;
last updated June 15, 2016.
last updated June 15, 2016.
