Historic US highway endpoint in Pembina, ND
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1927-1960s
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The north end of US 81 has been in Pembina since the beginning (1926). A little less well-known is the fact that US 59 ended there for several years as well. Before US 59's current border crossing due north of Lancaster, traffic was directed northwest through Orleans to Humboldt, where it joined with US 75...
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c. 1939, Rand McNally
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...but as that map indicated, US 59 did not remain with US 75 all the way to the Noyes border crossing. Instead, at St. Vincent Jct. US 59 split off, went through the town of St. Vincent, crossed the Red River out of Minnesota and landed in Pembina ND:
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c. 1940 (using 1936 base), Kittson Co. MN Census enumeration district map
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 The 1950 version of that map included some generalized roads on the North Dakota side, which indicated it was only US 81 (not US 59) that went north to the border:
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c. 1950 (using 1936 base), Kittson Co. MN Census enumeration district map
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Other evidence also suggests that US 59 terminated at its junction with US 81 just shy of the border. Pembina Co. ND Census maps from both 1940 and 1950 corroborated the idea that US 59 ended in the town of Pembina, with only US 81 continuing north to the border crossing:
c. 1940 (using 1936 base), Pembina Co. ND Census enumeration district map
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c. 1950 (using 1941 base), Pembina Co. ND Census enumeration district map
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So where was that junction? This photo was taken looking west along Stutsman Street in Pembina. Originally northbound US 81 traffic came in from the left on Beaupre Street, then turned and continued ahead over the bridge visible in the background, which spans the Pembina River:
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Morrison, May 2007
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The third block past that bridge is 3rd Street -- US 81 traffic was directed north (right) there, and continued another two miles or so to the original Pembina border crossing. Behind the camera was the location of a historic highway bridge that crossed the Red River of the North. From 1934-1953 US 59 traffic came in from Minnesota, crossed the river behind the camera, and terminated at that intersection.
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Heading north from Pembina, Jeff reported that the old highway was in pretty bad shape. It is no longer maintained; it has been obsolete ever since the current I-29 border crossing opened to traffic. This photo was taken looking north on the old highway, approaching the Canada line:
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Morrison, May 2007
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The border is not far ahead - that is where US 81 originally ended for about 30 years. US 81 still ends at the Port of Pembina, but the modern border crossing is located a bit west of the original crossing pictured above. It was 1953 when US 59 traffic was redirected along its current route north of Lancaster MN.
Research and/or photo credits: Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 2007;
last updated Dec. 17, 2023.
last updated Dec. 17, 2023.
