Current and historic US Highway
endpoints near Covington MI

Research credits: Chris Bessert. Photo credits: Jody Aho; Mark Long; Jim Teresco; Gary Voshol

When the original routes of 1926 were laid out, US 141 went only as far north as Green Bay WI. The short connector route between US 2 at Crystal Falls MI and US 41 at Covington was also among the original routes: it was christened US 102. But in 1929 the US 141 designation was extended up through northeastern Wisconsin and into Crystal Falls. From there it assimilated all of what had been US 102, so it's easy to assume that the historic north end of US 102 was the same as the current north end of US 141. However, a look at maps of the area reveal a few historic highway routings, and Chris Bessert's research confirms that things have changed over the years.

When the US routes were originally commissioned in 1926, US 41 followed a more direct route between Alberta and Nestoria MI. And US 102 followed what is now known as "Old M-28" out of Covington (more easterly than today's US 141) before curving northward to end at its intersection with US 41. The photo below shows what that historic junction looks like today:

Voshol, July 2006

That's looking northeast on Old M-28... it ends at this Y-intersection that provides access to both directions of Old US 41, which runs behind the trees. That was the north end of US 102 until 1928, and then it was the north end of US 141 until 1949. Below we're looking northwest on historic US 41:

Voshol, July 2006

To the left was the north beginning of US 102, and later US 141. The photo below is looking the opposite direction (southeast on old US 41):

Voshol, July 2006

US 102 and US 141 began to the right. US 41 traffic was rerouted along the current alignment by 1949, but US 141 continued to follow Old M-28 for a few more years. So its north end was truncated to the junction with today's US 41, shown below:

Voshol, July 2006

That's looking northeast on Old M-28. For a brief period, US 141 ended here at US 41. (If you were to continue ahead about a mile, you'd come to the old Y-junction shown in the photos above.) It was 1955 when the modern alignment of US 141 was opened to traffic, and that's when the current north end of US 141 was established. The photo below is approaching the junction on northbound US 141 / eastbound M-28:

Aho, Sep. 1996

I'm not sure if that assembly is still there, or if the one shown below is its replacement:

Long, July 2006

From this intersection, US 41 heads north (left) to Houghton. Southbound US 41 actually heads east for over 50 miles to Marquette, before turning south towards Escanaba. Below we're looking west on northbound US 41:

Teresco, July 2003

The north beginning of US 141 is to the left.