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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1926-1934
North: Piegan, MT
South: Rawlins, WY
1934-1935
North: Piegan, MT
South: Port Lavaca, TX
1935-1947
North: Great Falls, MT
South: Port Lavaca, TX
1947-present
North: Havre, MT
South: Port Lavaca, TX
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 1998 miles for US 87. That is reasonably close to our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 2006.1 miles. US 87's midway point is on I-25 in Pueblo, Colorado, adjacent to Mineral Palace Park... although there is no longer a single US 87 marker within 100 miles of Pueblo! 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).
Rawlins
When it was first commissioned in 1926, US 87 went only as far south as Rawlins, as illustrated on this map:
c. 1927, Rand McNally
This photo was looking south on 3rd Street (Business US 287) where it intersects Spruce Street (US 30):
Sanderson, Aug. 2017
(detail)
(compare to Mar. 2001)
Today US 30 and Business 287 are overlapped straight ahead for a few blocks, and then left on Cedar Street. But back when US 87 served Rawlins, the configuration was a little different: US 30 used 5th Street (not 3rd) to make the jog between Spruce and Cedar. That is only two blocks to the right, so presumably US 87 traffic wanting westbound US 30 would have been directed to turn right at that intersection. But officially US 87 continued ahead three blocks from the scene shown above, ending at Cedar:
(detail)
Sanderson, Aug. 2017
Originally the north end of US 87 was at Piegan, on the Canada border (where US 89 ends now). In 1935, US 89 was extended north and joined US 87 at Armington MT (southeast of Great Falls). The two routes were co-signed into that city, where US 87 then ended, with US 89 taking over its former route up to Piegan (photos and more info on the Great Falls page.
Port Lavaca
In 1934, that segment of US 87 became US 287, and the US 87 designation was changed to its present corridor through Cheyenne (instead of Rawlins). From there it overlapped US 85 through all of Colorado. In NM and Texas, US 87 absorbed the ~750 mile entirety of US 385[i]. From San Antonio, US 87 was extended all the way down to its present endpoint in Port Lavaca:
c. 1936, TXDoT
About a mile before its terminus US 87 reaches its southernmost point; from there it actually curves to the northeast (but of course that direction is still signed as "South"). This shot shows the last southbound marker on Main Street:
Brooks, Jul. 2010
A few blocks ahead, there was no "End" sign, only a junction sign. (The distinctive "Port Lavaca" theater sign visible here is where the first northbound US 87 sign is posted for drivers heading the opposite direction):
Karners, Jan. 2015
US 87 ends at the stop sign just ahead; beyond that lies Lavaca Bay (which is an inlet from Matagorda Bay, which is an inlet from the Gulf of Mexico). The cross road is Commerce Street, which carries TX hwy. 238, but by the time of my 2026 visit all of the highway signs shown in the following photos were gone from that intersection:
Wiley, 2000
Karners, Jan. 2015
Formerly there was a sign pointing left that said "To TX 35". Originally TX 35 went through town (rather than along the current bypass). Historically US 87 joined with TX 35 on the west side of town, and its endpoint at this intersection was not only at a junction with TX 238 (which went only south, or to the right) but also at a turn in TX 35 (which continued to the left):
c. 1940, TXDoT
Signage was later changed to indicate that TX 238 runs both ways along Commerce. The right-hand side of that "goalpost" was used to sign the south beginning of US 87 for northbound TX 238 traffic; that perspective is shown here:
Brooks, Jul. 2010
The sign below read "Where Highway 87 Ends the Party Begin" [sic], proving that sometimes even non-road-geeks notice things like highway endpoints. The beginning as seen from the opposite direction was signed thus:
Wiley, 2000
That assembly was later replaced, but it was essentially the same. That was posted just after the intersection with Main, heading southeast on Commerce. Straight ahead is also part of Lavaca Bay; the Gulf of Mexico itself is about 20 miles in that direction. That sign is also shown at far left in this photo:
Brooks, Jul. 2010
That shows an overview of the intersection where US 87 begins, straight ahead on Main, and the first northbound confirming marker is posted just ahead:
Wiley, 2000
Brooks, Jul. 2010
From there, US 87 takes travelers further southwest for about a mile; then west for about four more; and then finally northwest towards Victoria... and ultimately to Montana.
Havre
It was 1947 when the US 87 designation was extended northeastward to Havre. Southwest of town, US 87 initially followed Old Post Road / 11th Street to 1st Avenue; north one block; east on 10th Street to 3rd Avenue; then north to end at US 2, which ran along 2nd Street on the west side of town, not 1st Street (as it does today):
c. 1951, MT DoT
This postcard image was taken looking north on 3rd Av, approaching 2nd St. US 87 ended here; straight ahead was eastbound US 2, while westbound was to the left:
date and attribution unknown
In 1951 US 87 was changed to its current alignment, which junctions with US 2 a few miles west of town:
Millsap, 2000
That was heading north on US 87; ahead in the distance, down at the bottom of the Milk River valley, the "T" intersection where the highway ends is visible. These shots were taken from that junction:
Millsap, 2000
Millsap, 2000
Sanderson, Sep. 2026
Downtown Havre is about three miles east (to the right). Here we are looking west on US 2:
Elbert, Jul. 2004
Sanderson, Sep. 2026
The north beginning of US 87 is to the left. Next are some views from the opposite direction (the control city to the right is Great Falls):
Elbert, Jul. 2004
Elbert, Jul. 2004
Sanderson, Sep. 2026
Travelers who take that right turn will immediately see the first southbound confirming marker:
Elbert, Jul. 2004
Sanderson, Sep. 2026
21 miles in that direction is the town of Box Elder; as of 2026 that was where the last northbound US 87 sign was posted.
A weigh station is situated at the southwest corner of the junction where US 87 terminates. Truckers who exit from there onto US 87 see this assembly:
Research and/or image credits: Robert Brooks; Nathan Edgars; Chris Elbert; Karin and Martin Karner; Jerry Millsap; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Mike Wiley
Page originally created 2000;last updated Sep. 16, 2026.
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