100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
1926-1931
North: Minneapolis, MN
South: Dubuque, IA
1931-1934
North: Minneapolis, MN
South: Davenport, IA
The north end of US 55 was in Minneapolis. When US 55 was originally commissioned in 1926, its south end was in Dubuque:
This photo was taken looking south on Jackson Street at 20th Street; it shows the perspective of a driver on southbound US 55. The car in the foreground is on what was once northbound US 61, which continued to the left (20th becomes Rhomberg Avenue, which aligned with the now-dismantled Eagle Point Bridge):
Did US 55 end there? It could have, but it seems more likely that it would have been overlapped with US 61 to its junction with US 20. If so, then US 55 would have continued straight ahead with US 61 on Jackson, then west on 14th Street/Loras Boulevard, ending at Locust Street:
That was southbound US 61, which continued to the left with eastbound US 20. Westbound US 20 was ahead on Loras, so this would have been a logical place for US 55 to end.
In 1931 the designation was extended further south, to Davenport (photos and more info on the Quad Cities page). Two years later US 55 was retired; signage along its route was replaced by extensions of US 67 and US 52.
Research and/or image credits: Jason Hancock; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa