FROM NAMES TO NUMBERS: THE ORIGINS OF THE U.S. NUMBERED HIGHWAY SYSTEM

Abstract

The named trails were a product of the pioneer days of auto travel, but helped build interest in good roads during the 1910's. By the 1920's, the federal government and the state highway agencies were improving the nation's roads through the federal-aid highway program. Although long-distance travel by auto was still something of a sporting proposition, the time when highway transportation could be left to booster groups was quickly fading. A 1917 state law made Wisconsin the first state to replace trail signs with numbers. On March 2, 1925, Secretary of Agriculture Howard Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways. In April, it was suggested that the official U.S. shield with U.S.A. and a number on it would make a good marker. In August, the board appointed a Committee of Five to prepare a numbering plan for the U.S. system. The plan assigned even numbers to east-west routes (multiples of 10 for principal routes) and odd numbers to north-south routes (numbers ending in 1 or 5 for principal routes). Despite opposition from many, the U.S. numbered system proved its worth, quickly rendering the named trails and their booster associations obsolete. Today, the remnants of the named trails are scattered across the map, but the U.S. shield remains a fixture in the lives of the nation's motorists. Sidebars highlight Alma Rittenberry and Edwin Warley James, examine why U.S. 30 is north of U.S. 20, explain the Interstate highway marking and number system, outline the battle fought over U.S. 60, and refute some common misconceptions on highway numbering.