171:
22:
159:
284:
504:
37:. Roads in early Indiana were often roads in name only. In actuality they were sometimes little more than crude paths following old animal and Native American trails and filled with sinkholes, stumps, and deep, entrapping ruts. Hoosier leaders, however, recognized the importance of roads to the growth and economic health of the state, and the needed
69:. Like the National Road, it did much to spur settlement and economic growth. Half of the pioneers to settle northwestern Indiana did so by using the Michigan Road to travel from the Ohio River to their destination. It was the "most ambitious" project to connect Indianapolis with the rest of the state.
48:
As early as 1821 the legislature earmarked funds for more than two dozen roads throughout the state. Road building was often the responsibility of the counties, which were empowered to call out a local labor force for construction and provide road viewers, or supervisors.
149:
caused the state to enter partial bankruptcy before the entire length could be paved. The situation forced
Indiana to give control of the road to the individual counties as part of a plan to avoid losing it to the state's creditors.
98:
A commission was selected in 1828 to route the road from
Indianapolis to Lake Michigan. It was told to make the trailhead be the best harbor, preferably natural, that could be had with Lake Michigan. The
103:'s swamp posed a problem for the construction of the road, forcing the commission to avoid a more direct northwesterly route and instead have it go from
133:
It proved to be the preferred route to
Indianapolis for 34 separate counties, even through the road went through only 14 counties. In 1836, the
524:
231:
The original US 31 has been bypassed in several locations, most notably, in terms of the
Michigan Road, from Rochester to north of
138:
235:. SR 29 from the south into Logansport has been decommissioned, as has the entire route (that which remains) from the junction of
91:(Michigan City). The Pottawatomie left the region by that very road when the last of their tribe was forcibly removed in the 1838
485:
447:
529:
262:
265:
and
Southeastern Avenue near downtown Indianapolis. The monument was relocated slightly as part of the changes to
508:
170:
57:
Indiana's first "super highway" was the
Michigan Road, which was built in the 1830s and 1840s and ran from
92:
302:
174:
An obelisk monument near the historic intersection of the
Michigan and National roads in Indianapolis
145:
the entire length of the road. However, the economic difficulties brought on by overspending and the
119:
83:
led the negotiations. It allowed for a ribbon of land 100 feet (30 m) wide to stretch from the
478:
266:
247:
213:
194:
163:
134:
111:), and then west to Lake Michigan. Michigan City was formally selected to be the trailend in 1832.
206:
72:
One of the things that made the road possible was a treaty the state of
Indiana forged with the
254:. It was erected by the Augusta Gravel Road Company to recoup its costs in repairing the road.
225:
127:
115:
62:
251:
186:
178:
38:
297:
202:
182:
114:
The route from
Madison to Indianapolis was straighter. From Madison it went north through
8:
319:
240:
198:
108:
104:
77:
372:
217:
190:
443:
232:
123:
21:
58:
289:
221:
100:
224:
was constructed. A more "truck friendly" route was also built from
Madison to
518:
258:
236:
146:
88:
42:
463:
41:. They encouraged construction of roads which would do for Indiana what the
306:
243:
to the junction of I-465 and US 421 on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
158:
80:
73:
66:
340:
166:
erected by the Augusta Gravel Road Company along the road in Indianapolis
107:, straight up to the south bend of the St Joseph River (now the city of
84:
400:
479:"Order of the Commissioner: Route for the Historic Michigan Road"
314:
310:
257:
A monument marking the intersection of the Michigan Road and the
142:
34:
503:
185:, and from Napoleon in the south to Logansport in the north.
181:, originally much longer, followed the route from Madison to
464:"National Road and Michigan Road Monument, Indianapolis, IN"
246:
In Indianapolis, a few remnants of the road still remain. A
209:
follow the original road from South Bend to Michigan City.
25:
Michigan Road, as well as other early roads, in Indiana
272:
The road received a State Byway Designation in 2011.
279:
216:
replaced Indiana State Road 29 from Madison to near
220:. The original route for US 421 was altered when
516:
197:followed the original route from Rochester to
442:. Indiana University Press. p. 1002.
437:
366:
364:
362:
169:
157:
20:
477:Cline, Michael B. (September 9, 2011).
433:
431:
429:
517:
456:
420:
387:
370:
359:
476:
347:. American Road Builder's Association
525:Historic trails and roads in Indiana
486:Indiana Department of Transportation
426:
13:
332:
126:, and from there straight through
14:
541:
496:
393:
45:was doing for the whole country.
33:was one of the earliest roads in
502:
440:The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
338:
282:
139:Mammoth Internal Improvement Act
377:. W.K. Stewart co. p. 260.
189:followed the original route to
470:
414:
381:
1:
325:
7:
309:, an early road connecting
275:
93:Pottawatomie Trail of Death
10:
546:
438:Bodenhamer, David (1994).
401:"Potawatomi History, 1998"
141:, which provided funds to
52:
250:stands just north of the
153:
135:Indiana General Assembly
530:Streets in Indianapolis
371:Esarey, Logan (1915).
261:sits at the corner of
175:
167:
26:
173:
161:
122:counties straight to
76:on October 16, 1826.
24:
511:at Wikimedia Commons
390:, pp. 256, 257.
374:A History of Indiana
298:Buffalo Trace (road)
239:and US 421 north of
341:"The Michigan Road"
320:Sycamore Row (road)
176:
168:
27:
507:Media related to
345:Road Builder News
263:Washington Street
130:to Indianapolis.
537:
506:
490:
489:
483:
474:
468:
467:
460:
454:
453:
435:
424:
418:
412:
411:
409:
407:
397:
391:
385:
379:
378:
368:
357:
356:
354:
352:
336:
292:
287:
286:
285:
164:former tollhouse
87:(at Madison) to
545:
544:
540:
539:
538:
536:
535:
534:
515:
514:
499:
494:
493:
481:
475:
471:
462:
461:
457:
450:
436:
427:
419:
415:
405:
403:
399:
398:
394:
386:
382:
369:
360:
350:
348:
337:
333:
328:
303:Michigan Avenue
288:
283:
281:
278:
269:exits in 2008.
156:
55:
17:
16:Road in Indiana
12:
11:
5:
543:
533:
532:
527:
513:
512:
498:
497:External links
495:
492:
491:
469:
455:
448:
425:
423:, p. 257.
413:
392:
380:
358:
339:Rose, Albert.
330:
329:
327:
324:
323:
322:
317:
300:
294:
293:
290:Indiana portal
277:
274:
222:Interstate 465
214:U.S. Route 421
155:
152:
101:Kankakee River
54:
51:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
542:
531:
528:
526:
523:
522:
520:
510:
509:Michigan Road
505:
501:
500:
487:
480:
473:
465:
459:
451:
449:0-253-31222-1
445:
441:
434:
432:
430:
422:
421:Esarey (1915)
417:
402:
396:
389:
388:Esarey (1915)
384:
376:
375:
367:
365:
363:
346:
342:
335:
331:
321:
318:
316:
312:
308:
304:
301:
299:
296:
295:
291:
280:
273:
270:
268:
267:Interstate 65
264:
260:
259:National Road
255:
253:
249:
244:
242:
238:
234:
229:
227:
226:North Madison
223:
219:
215:
210:
208:
207:U.S. Route 20
204:
200:
196:
195:U.S. Route 31
192:
188:
187:State Road 25
184:
180:
179:State Road 29
172:
165:
160:
151:
148:
147:Panic of 1837
144:
140:
136:
131:
129:
128:Shelby County
125:
121:
117:
112:
110:
106:
102:
96:
94:
90:
89:Lake Michigan
86:
82:
79:
75:
70:
68:
64:
63:Michigan City
60:
50:
46:
44:
43:National Road
40:
36:
32:
31:Michigan Road
23:
19:
472:
458:
439:
416:
404:. Retrieved
395:
383:
373:
349:. Retrieved
344:
334:
307:Chicago Road
271:
256:
245:
230:
211:
203:State Road 2
177:
132:
113:
97:
81:James B. Ray
74:Pottawatomie
71:
67:Indianapolis
56:
47:
39:improvements
30:
28:
18:
351:January 20,
252:White River
183:Bryantsburg
137:passed the
519:Categories
326:References
241:Greensburg
212:The later
199:South Bend
109:South Bend
105:Logansport
85:Ohio River
248:tollhouse
218:Boyleston
191:Rochester
120:Jefferson
406:July 28,
276:See also
233:Plymouth
124:Napoleon
78:Governor
315:Chicago
311:Detroit
305:or the
59:Madison
53:History
35:Indiana
446:
193:, and
116:Ripley
482:(PDF)
154:Today
444:ISBN
408:2008
353:2023
313:and
237:I-74
205:and
162:The
143:pave
118:and
65:via
29:The
61:to
521::
484:.
428:^
361:^
343:.
228:.
201:.
95:.
488:.
466:.
452:.
410:.
355:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
