| Back to Previous Routes: Former M-172 Former M-173 (1929-38) M-179 |
  |
On to Next Route: Former M-174 Former M-181 |
| M-180 is a former state trunkline route existing from c.1933 to c.1935. M-173 is a former state trunkline route existing from c.1939 to December 15, 1972.** |
|
| Southern Terminus*: | Ann Arbor Railroad & Auto Ferry Dock (the "carferry dock") in Menominee at the mouth of Menominee River. |
| Northern Terminus*: | US-41 at the cnr of 10th Ave & 10th St in the central part of Menominee |
| Final Length*: | 1.5 miles 1.567 miles using modern calculations paired with historic State Highway Dept maps and data |
| Maps: |  Route Maps of Former M-180 and Former M-173 |
| Notes: | * This route listing covers not only the two state trunkline routes with their route markers featured above—namely M-180 and M-173—but also the (assumedly) unsigned and very early route designation of "US-41 STUB" and also a part of the history of a short segment of M-35! This listing covers the exact same length of street in the City of Menominee for all four. The trunkline route in question existed for 41½ years and, over that period, had four different route designations. It was also a rather short, 1.5 mile long spur route and served a very specific purpose... that no longer exists. |
| US-41 STUB / M-180 / the M-35 spur / M-173 all served as a state trunkline connection between US-41 in the central part of Menominee easterly and southeasterly to the Ann Arbor Railroad & Auto Ferry. The ferry connected across Green Bay and Lake Michiganl via the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal through the Door Peninsula of WIsconsin, to Frankfort (technically Elberta) in the Lower Peninsula, operating from 1894 to March 1970. With the primary reason for the existence of the route now gone, the route was decommissioned almost three years later and returned to local control as a municipal street. Interestingly, the trunkline spur route at the other end of the Menominee–Frankfort (Elberta) ferry route was not similarly decommissioned after ferry service ended there in 1928. M-168 held on for another thirty years before being turned back to local control in 2012! |
|
| ** The 1939–1972 iteration of M-173 at Menominee was actually the second iteration of the route. An earlier M-173 routing existed from c.1929 to 1938 in Ionia Co as the Orleans Spur—a short route running between M-44 and "downtown" Orleans. However, it is not yet clear if this first M-173 route was ever actually signed in the field or not. See the M-173 route listing for a complete history of both iterations of M-173. (This listing concentrates on the complete history of the "Menominee Spur.") |
|
| In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, MSHD staff recommended keeping the route as-is with no changes. (The planners did not know the carferries out of Menominee would no longer be operational in just over a decade.) |
|
| History: | Note: As noted above, the history section below chronicles the entire history of the "Menominee Spur" through downtown Menominee from the time it was initially established as a trunkline route until its cancellation, through all four route designations: |
 1931 (June 19, July 15) – The highways committe of the State Administrative Board approves the addition of a new trunkline highay spur through downtown Menominee on June 19. Subsequently, on July 15, a new 1.5-mile long state trunkline route is established through downtown Menominee, starting at US-41 at the cnr of 10th Ave (Ogden Ave) & 10th St (Jenkin St) and continues easterly eight blocks along 10th (Ogden) Ave, then southeasterly nine blocks through downtown along 1st St (Sheridan Rd) to the roadway leading to the Ann Arbor Carferry Dock, then along that roadway along the shoreline to the actual ferry dock. The new route is initially given the trunkline designation of US-45 STUB, although the various "STUB" routes around the state are assumedly never signed as such and, if signed at all, are possibly signed as a third leg of the route, atleast in the direction leading to the mainline route. |
|
| 1934 (May) – At some point by mid-May 1934, the "US-45 STUB" route through downtown Menominee is assigned the M-180 route designation and, assumedly, signed as such in the field. The May 1, 1934 edition of the Michigan Official Highway Map is the first one to show the M-180 symbol on its map for the Menominee ferry spur route. |
|
 1935 (Fall) – A little more than a year after being assigned the route designation M-180 and likely posted as such along the route itself through downtown Menominee, the spur route accessing the Ann Arbor Carferry dock is given its second signed (and third overall) route designation: M-35. The State Highway Dept makes the determination that continuing the M-35 route south from its terminus on the north side of Menominee concurrently with US-41 southerly along 10th St (State St/Jenkin St) for 1.8 miles to 10th (Ogden) Ave, where it then turns easterly and southeasterly replacing the M-180 designation along the spur route via 10th (Ogden) Ave and 1st St (Sheridan Rd) to the carferry dock. Thus ends the only known iteration of the M-180 route designation in Michigan. This change also lengthens the route of M-35 by approximately 3.3 miles (1.8 miles concurrently with US-41 + 1.5 miles of former M-180). The September 15, 1935 edition is the first known Michigan Official Highway Map to show the former M-180 as M-35, although some internal State Highway Dept maps still show the route as M-180 into 1940, although this is believed to be in error. |
|
| 1939 (Summer) – After about four years being signed as a part of the route of M-35, the Menominee carferry spur route is again given yet another new route designation, this time M-173. This is actually the second iteration of M-173 in the state highway system—an earlier ½-mile long M-173 routing connected M-44 north of Orleans in north-central Ionia Co with "downtown" Orleans, but this spur was cancelled as a trunkline route (like many other similar short trunkline spurs) in 1938. The M-173 designation is immediately re-applied to the Memoninee carferry spur. This designation, unlike its predecessors, would acutally stay around for awhile. |
|
| 1950 – The City of Menominee decides to standardize all street naming within the city during a house numbering project, replacing all named streets with numbered streets (north-south) and avenues (east-west). For M-173, it now travels along 10th Ave (formerly Ogden Ave), 1st St (formerly Sheridan Rd), and Harbor Dr (formerly officially un-named). Interestingly, most of the route of US-41 through Menominee now runs along 10th Ave (Ogden Ave) and 10th St (Jenkin St/State St), which is why M-173's northern terminus is at the cnr of 10th & 10th (10th Ave & 10th St). |
|
 1970 (Jan 19, Mar 9) – The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) grants the Ann Arbor Railroad permission to discontinue its railroad carferry and auto ferry service between Frankfort (Elberta) in the northwest Lower Peninsula and Menominee in the U.P on January 19. The Ann Arbor carferry is the entire reason for the existence of M-173 through downtown Menominee. Railroad officials state the service to and from Menominee is being operated "at a substantial loss to parent firm, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Co (DT&I)" which owns the Ann Arbor. Indeed, company officials state the Ann Arbor is in debt to its parent, the DT&I, to the tune of almost $5 million. While it is stated "other means of transportation are available" to Menominee and Marinette area industries, the Ann Arbor Railroad will continue to operate carferries from Frankfort (Elberta) to Kewaunee and Manitowoc, Wisconsin after discontinuing the Menominee service. (Service between Frankfort and Manistique was discontinued in 1968.) The last ferry run into Menominee occurs on March 9 after 76 years of service. |
|
| 1972 (Dec 15) – After a 41½ year history of connecting US-41 with the Menominee carferry dock, through four different highway route designations, and a few months shy of three years after its primary reason for existence—the Ann Arbor Railroad carferry service between Menominee and Frankfort (Elberta)—ceased operation, the Dept of State Highways cancels M-173 in its entirety and turns it back to municipal control. Also ending is the 33-year run for the second iteration of M-173 itself, a route designation which has not been used anywhere else on the state highway system to date. |
|
| Controlled Access: | No portion of former M-173 upon decommissioning existed as freeway or expressway. |
| Photographs: | |
| Weblinks: |
|
| Back to Former M-172 Back to Former M-173 (1929–1938) Back to M-179 |
Route Listings Home | On to Former M-174 On to Former M-181 |