End of historic US highway 285 [I]

Photo credits: me

US 285 was among the original 1926 US highway routes. In Laramie WY, it ran along 3rd Street (modern US 287), and its north end was where that intersects Grand Avenue (US 30). The shot below is looking north on 3rd; Grand is the next intersection:

me, May 2001

That was the north end of US 285 [I]; straight ahead was westbound US 30. The photo below is looking the opposite direction: south on 3rd - which at this point serves as US 30 and US 287. But US 287 didn't come through here until 1936. Before that, it was US 285 [I] that began straight ahead, where US 30 turns left:

me, May 2001

This last shot is looking west on Grand:

me, May 2001

US 285 [I] used to begin to the left on 3rd.

US 285 has always had one end in Denver. But until 1936, Denver was the southern terminus of US 285 - not its northern terminus, as it is now (you can view the page for modern US 285 here). 285 [I] only existed for about nine years, and its south end in Denver was continually migrating during that time. This map shows the original south end of 285, starting in 1926:

The photo below is looking southeast on 14th Street at Colfax Avenue:

me, 2000

Colfax has been US 40 from the time federal routes were first designated (it now serves as US 287 as well). A sharp right leads to westbound Colfax. An easy right goes to southbound Bannock Street. An easy left puts you on eastbound Colfax. Two blocks in that direction is Broadway, which was US 85. Technically, US 285 should have been co-signed with US 40 east on Colfax from here to Broadway (in order to connect with its parent route, US 85). But since that distance was only one block at the time, I doubt I'll ever find a historic map at a large enough scale to show whether or not that was actually the case. If it was the case, then US 285 originally ended at the intersection shown below:

me, 2000

That's the view from eastbound Colfax at Broadway (with the State Capitol in the background). The shot below, looking the opposite direction on Colfax, was likely the original south beginning of US 285:

me, 2000

One block in that direction (two today, after a realignment), US 285 split off from Colfax to head northwest on 14th. You can't do that anymore, as 14th is one-way southeastbound today. Not that the photo below bears any resemblance to the view of a traveler in the early 1930's anyway... but the cars at far left are on eastbound Colfax, and that's 14th St - historic US 285 - disappearing in the distance:

me, 2000

That was 285's route for at least five years. Then, sometime between 1932 and 1934, US 285 was switched over to 20th Street:

The shot below shows the second endpoint of US 285 [I]; we're looking southeast on 20th at Broadway:

me, 2000

A third street (California Avenue) runs through that intersection, confusing the perspective. The black SUV (under the billboard) is southbound on Broadway, while the red car (behind the traffic signal) is southwest on California. The shot below, looking the opposite direction, may be a little more instructive:

me, 2000

That's looking northwest on 20th, at a former beginning of US 285. The white delivery truck and the bus are southbound on Broadway (old US 85). The gray Cherokee at far right is southwest on California.

That lasted for no more than three years. The 1935 state highway map indicates that the route of US 285 was shifted again - this time down Park Avenue (which is the equivalent of 23rd Street):

The photo below shows the final endpoint of US 285 [I], at Park Av and Colfax (US 40):

me, 2000

We're looking southeast on Park. The double turn goes to eastbound Colfax, while an easy right leads to southbound Franklin Street. The photo below is from the opposite perspective:

me, 2000

The truck is on westbound Colfax. To the right of the large building is northbound Franklin; to its left is northwestbound Park Av, and the final south beginning of US 285 [I]. Note that some maps from the following year (1936) indicate that this intersection had become the south end of US 287...

...however, the official state highway map from 1936 indicates that the former US 285 between Ft. Collins and Denver had become US 87, and that US 287 ended in Ft. Collins. The number 285 had been recycled for a new US route running south and west from Denver - the US 285 we're familiar with today. You can read about modern US 285 on this page.