End of US highway 212

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info on this page is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. Most Minnesota info and photos on this page are courtesy of Monte Castleman. Other photo credits: Chris Elbert; Alex Nitzman; Bob Otterson; me

The east end of US 212 was originally in Willmar MN (a city it no longer even serves). From Montevideo MN, US 212 was originally routed due east (via what is now MN hwy. 7) to Clara City. There it went northeast on modern MN 23 to Willmar. Today at 45th Street, MN 23 veers east on a newer bypass around the city, but US 212 would've continued northeast on what is now CR 15. That soon curves east as 19th Avenue, which then meets 1st Street (historic US 71). The US 212 designation likely would've been co-signed with US 71 north on 1st to US 12. The photo below shows that spot:

Castleman, 2003

Here we're looking north on 1st at Litchfield Avenue. Litchfield was probably the old US 12 through Willmar, so this is where US 212 would've ended. These days, US 12 traffic is routed onto a bypass about 2 blocks ahead. However, the bridge ahead flies over this bypass (as well as the railyards), so there's no direct access to US 12 there - that's why the sign points left and says "TO US 12".

In 1934, the US 212 designation was removed from the Montevideo-Willmar segment, and the route more or less began to assume its modern path: southeast from Montevideo to Granite Falls, then east to Chaska and up to St. Paul. According to Steve Riner's page, the US 212 designation was at first extended past St. Paul and all the way to the Wisconsin line at Stillwater (using essentially what are now MN hwys. 5 and 36). If so, then here's where it would've ended:

Castleman, 2003

That's looking east at the Stillwater Lift Bridge, which now serves as MN 36 over the St. Croix River into Wisconsin, where it becomes WI 64.

The next year the US 212 designation was truncated back to St. Paul, where it remained for about 45 years (the segment from St. Paul to Stillwater became MN 212, later renumbered as 5 and 36). The photo below is looking east on 7th Street at Robert Street:

Castleman, July 2004

That used to be known as 8th Street, and this intersection used to be the east end of US 212 from 1935 to about 1961 (left on Robert was westbound US 10/US 12/US 52; ahead was east on US 10/US 12; and right was east on US 52). Then some of these downtown streets were converted to one-way pairs. At that point, the cars coming towards the camera would've been approaching the westbound beginning of US 212, but the eastbound end was one block to the right, at 7th Place (then known as 7th Street). This lasted until about 1978...

...when the US 212 designation east of Snelling Avenue was cut back (instead US 212 turned north on Snelling and ended at University Avenue, or US 12). But that only lasted about one year. In 1979, the US 212 designation was shortened such that it no longer served Minneapolis and St. Paul at all, and it no longer connected with its "parent", US 12. At the time, US 169 went through downtown Shakopee, then crossed the river and joined with US 212 in Chanhassen. From there the two routes were co-signed northeast along Flying Cloud Drive, but then US 212 signage just quietly disappeared beyond a certain point in Eden Prairie. No one I know remembers exactly where this point was, but Monte offers a convincing theory that it was approximately at the intersection of Flying Cloud and Valley View Road. In his own words:

"As far back as the 1970's, plans were in the works to reroute 212 onto [today's MN hwy. 5] and the freeway currently being built in Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, and Chaska [MN 312]. This is where 169 would have met 212. Whether this was the actual terminus is unknown, depending on whether the route northeast of here was a "secret" 212, or was assigned a different 8xx or 9xx number."

The photo below is looking northeast on Flying Cloud at Valley View (CR 39):

Castleman, Spring 2004

The signage in the distance (at far right) looks like this:

Otterson, May 2004

Bob writes that the "East 212" sign used to read "North US 169 / End US 212". US 212 has long been planned to come in via the freeway at far left (currently MN 5), and until US 169 was rerouted, it was assumed that 212 would meet 169 here (hence the endpoint). But US 212 traffic has yet to be routed onto MN 5: as of 2004, the 212 expressway still isn't completed. As it turns out, US 169 ended up moving long before US 212 did...

...in about 1990, US 169 was rerouted off Flying Cloud and along its present course. So US 212 was extended northeast a bit along former 169 to its current terminus at modern 169 on the line between Eden Prairie and Edina. The photo below shows the "End" signage...

Nitzman, Apr. 2007

...but the "Begin" sign is a bit misleading: although eastbound US 212 does become eastbound MN 62 ahead, 62 doesn't "begin" here - it also goes to the west (but you can't access that direction from this partial interchange).

The shot below is from the opposite direction, and shows the east beginning of US 212 as seen from westbound MN 62:

Castleman, Spring 2004

Below we're on northbound US 169, at the exit to the east beginning of US 212:

Nitzman, Apr. 2007

If you exit there, you'll soon see the first westbound assembly:

Otterson, May 2004

Originally the west end of US 212 was at the junction with US 85 in Belle Fourche SD (not far from the geographic center of the US). Today US 212 skirts the north side of town, but originally highway traffic was directed along what's now poorly-marked as Business US 212. From the east, that follows the railroad into town, then north on 10th Avenue, then west on State Street. The photo below is looking that direction:

me, Mar. 2004

Maps of Belle Fourche indicate that US 85 was originally routed along 6th Avenue (the crossroad in the foreground) - if so, then US 212 would've ended right here. But today, US 85 is one block ahead; State ends there because the railroad runs through on the far side (you can see some railcars in the distance). The business route goes north (right) with US 85 to reconnect with the new US 212. Below is the historic beginning as seen from southbound US 85:

me, Mar. 2004

US 212 began one block to the left on State. Below is a shot from the opposite direction:

me, Mar. 2004

The west beginning of US 212 used to be to the right. But in 1939, the designation was extended north with US 85, over the Belle Fourche River, and then west again on its own...

...at that time US 212 was extended west to Miles City MT (at Broadus MT, US 212 was routed north along what is now MT hwy. 59, ending at US 10/US 12, which were co-signed through Miles City). The photo below is looking west on Main Street:

Elbert, July 2005

The stop sign ahead is where Valley Drive comes in: at the time, that was eastbound US 10/US 12, and westbound was straight ahead on Main. So the US 212 designation ended at that intersection. The sign assembly on the far side of the stop sign is shown close-up below:

Elbert, July 2005

Now: see the concrete bridge support on the right side of the underpass? Check out what's painted on there:

Elbert, July 2005

A relic of historic US 10 in Montana. I'm glad Chris photographed that when he did: it probably won't be long before it's faded beyond recognition. Heading the other direction under that bridge, there was this sign:

Elbert, July 2005

Very difficult to make out now, but it appears to say "10 - 12 LEFT", which would be appropriate because those routes turned left ahead at Valley Dr. (I can only guess that below that it said "212 AHEAD" or something to that effect.) The photo below was taken just ahead, at the junction itself:

Elbert, July 2005

Eastbound US 10/US 12 turned left, and eastbound US 212 began straight ahead. The signage at far right is shown close-up below:

Elbert, July 2005

Finally, here's the perspective from southbound Valley Dr, or westbound US 10/12:

Elbert, July 2005

Those routes turned right on Main, and US 212 began to the left.

In 1962, US 212 assumed its current form: it was truncated at Broadus and instead extended westerly through Billings. From there it follows what was originally US 12 (and later US 312) through Red Lodge to its terminus at the northeast entrance of Yellowstone. You can view photos from there on this page.