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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
When the US routes were originally commissioned, US 63 ran northwest from Oskaloosa, ending in Des Moines. But in 1934, US 63 was changed to go north from Oskaloosa, and its former corridor from there to Des Moines was designated US 163...
c. 1935, IA DoT
Oskaloosa
...so the east end of US 163 was in Oskaloosa. US 63 has always been routed through the intersection of "A" Avenue and Market Street (even before its path through the city was changed in 1997), so US 163 probably ended on "A" (IA hwy. 92) at Market (US 63). This photo was looking north on Market. Today this is on northbound US 63, but before 1997 US 63 came in from the right and continued ahead. US 163 began to the left on "A":
Hancock, Mar. 2002
These photos were taken looking west on "A". Back in the mid-1930s this would have been northbound US 63, which continued to the right on Market. The east beginning of US 163 was straight ahead:
Hancock, Mar. 2002
Morrison, Nov. 2007
The US route designation lasted for less than three years -- it has been a state highway ever since 1937. A completely different (and completely misnumbered) US 163 was commissioned in 1971, and it still exists today.
Research and/or image credits: Jason Hancock; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2003;last updated Aug. 09, 2025.
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