Point Douglas to Superior Military Road

Point Douglas to Superior Military Road, also known as Point Douglas to St. Louis River Military Road and as Douglas Highway, was a road the ran between Point Douglas, located at the outlet of the Lower St. Croix Lake near Hastings, Minnesota

Hastings, Minnesota

Hastings is a city in Dakota counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. The population was 22,172 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County. The bulk of Hastings is in Dakota County; only a small part of the city extends...

, first to the falls of the St. Louis River near Thomson, Minnesota

Thomson, Minnesota

Thomson is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, USA, along the St. Louis River. The population was 159 at the 2010 census.Thomson is adjacent to Jay Cooke State Park and is located on the Willard Munger State Trail....

, and later extended to the mouth of the St. Louis River in Superior, Wisconsin

Superior, Wisconsin

Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...

. From Douglas Point, located immediately east of Hastings, Minnesota

Hastings, Minnesota

, the route connected Stillwater

Stillwater, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...

, Taylors Falls

Taylors Falls, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 951 people, 369 households, and 247 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6 people per square mile . There were 386 housing units at an average density of 103.7 per square mile...

, Sunrise, Chengwatana

Chengwatana, Minnesota

Chengwatana was an Ojibwa village, located along the lower course of the Snake River, Minnesota. Its name in Ojibwe was Zhingwaadena, a contraction of Zhingwaak-oodena or "White-Pine Town"; English uses the French transcription of the Ojibwe...

, Fortuna, Scotts Corner

Scotts Corner, Minnesota

Scotts Corner is an unincorporated community in Twin Lakes Township, Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. It lies near Wrenshall and Chub Lake.Carlton County Roads 3 and 4 are two of the main routes in the community.-Further reading:...

, originally to Thomson, Minnesota

Thomson, Minnesota

, then rerouted to Superior, Wisconsin

Superior, Wisconsin

. Several discontinuous sections of this road is still in use today.

History

In 1855 the federal government began building the Point Douglas to Superior Military Road. Although intended as a highway for troop movement, this route from Hastings, Minnesota

Hastings, Minnesota

to Superior, Wisconsin

Superior, Wisconsin

was one of the first roads in Minnesota Territory

Minnesota Territory

The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...

and attracted a flood of civilian and commercial traffic. When Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

achieved statehood in 1858, responsibility for the road devolved to the state, which did not have the funds to finish the project. Although very rough and in places incomplete, the road was still the best route north until railroads were built in 1870. An alternative to the Military Road that ushered in the decline in use of the road came in 1895 when William Henry Grant built spur of Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad

Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad

The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad is the name for two different railroads in Minnesota.-Historic railroad:The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad was the first rail link between the Twin Cities and Duluth and came into existence in 1863 when financier Jay Cooke selected Duluth as the...

to run to Sandstone, Minnesota

Sandstone, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families residing in the city. The population density was 292.5 people per square mile . There were 634 housing units at an average density of 119.7 per square mile...

. Traces of the unimproved military road can still be seen in Wild River State Park

Wild River State Park

Wild River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, curving along of the St. Croix River. This long, narrow park is shaped somewhat like a sideways 'S', with development largely concentrated in the lower third. The remote upper sections flank the mouth of a tributary called the Sunrise...

and in Banning State Park

Banning State Park

Banning State Park is a Minnesota state park stretched along of the Kettle River near Sandstone, Minnesota in Pine County. The centerpiece of the park is of churning rapids, some up to Class IV. The daring kayakers and canoeists who shoot Blueberry Slide, Mother's Delight, Dragon's Tooth,...

Landmarks

Point Douglas to Superior Military Road: Deer Creek Section, Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, curving along of the St. Croix River. This long, narrow park is shaped somewhat like a sideways 'S', with development largely concentrated in the lower third. The remote upper sections flank the mouth of a tributary called the Sunrise...
Point Douglas-St. Louis River Road Bridge
Point Douglas-St. Louis River Road Bridge
The Point Douglas-St. Louis River Road Bridge is the oldest known stone arch bridge in the state of Minnesota. Located near Stillwater, the bridge dates back to 1863 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places....

, Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...

Existing sections

St. Croix Trail / County Road 21, Washington County, Minnesota
Washington County, Minnesota
Washington County is a county established in 1849 in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 238,136. Its county seat is Stillwater.-History:...
St. Croix Trail / Minnesota Highway 95
Minnesota State Highway 95
Minnesota State Highway 95 is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 23 near St. Cloud and continues east and south to its southern terminus at its intersection with U.S...

, Washington and Chisago Counties, Minnesota
Lake Boulevard / U.S. Highway 8
U.S. Route 8
U.S. Highway 8 is a United States Highway that runs primarily east–west for , mostly within the state of Wisconsin. It runs from Interstate 35 in Forest Lake, Minnesota to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the border with Wisconsin. Except for the short freeway...

/ Minnesota Highway 95, Taylors Falls, Minnesota
Taylors Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 951 people, 369 households, and 247 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6 people per square mile . There were 386 housing units at an average density of 103.7 per square mile...
Wild Mountain Road / County Road 16, Shafer and Amador Townships, Chisago County, Minnesota
Deer Creek Loop, Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, curving along of the St. Croix River. This long, narrow park is shaped somewhat like a sideways 'S', with development largely concentrated in the lower third. The remote upper sections flank the mouth of a tributary called the Sunrise...

, Minnesota
River Road, Amador and Sunrise Townships, Chisago County, Minnesota
Sunrise Road / County Road 9, Sunrise Township, Chisago County, Minnesota
Government Road / County Road 57, Sunrise and Rushseba Townwhips, Chisago County, Minnesota
Government Road / County Road 55, Rushseba Township, Chisago County, Minnesota
Government Road / County Road 106, Rock Creek
Rock Creek, Minnesota
Rock Creek is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2010 census. Portions of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is located within Rock Creek....

, Pine County, Minnesota
Government Road / County Highway 4, Rock Creek and Pine City Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Government Road, Pine City Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Cross Lake Road / County Highway 9, Pine County, Minnesota
Hinckley Road / County Highway 15, Mission Creek, Munch and Barry Townships, Pine County, Minnesota
Government Road / County Road 140, Barry Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Government Road, Barry and Sandstone Townships, Pine County, Minnesota
Old Military Road, Sandstone, Minnesota
Sandstone, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families residing in the city. The population density was 292.5 people per square mile . There were 634 housing units at an average density of 119.7 per square mile...
Wolf Creek Trail, Banning State Park
Banning State Park
Banning State Park is a Minnesota state park stretched along of the Kettle River near Sandstone, Minnesota in Pine County. The centerpiece of the park is of churning rapids, some up to Class IV. The daring kayakers and canoeists who shoot Blueberry Slide, Mother's Delight, Dragon's Tooth,...

, Minnesota
Interstate Highway 35
Interstate 35 in Minnesota
In the U.S. state of Minnesota, Interstate 35 is a highway in southeast, east-central, and northeast Minnesota. The route runs north–south from the Iowa state line through the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul; where it splits into Interstates 35E and 35W; and ends in the city of...

, Finlayson Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Old Military Road, Norman Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Norman Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Norman Township is a township in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 247 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.9 square miles , of which, 35.7 square miles of it is land and 0.2 square...
Military Road, Norman and Windemere Townships, Pine County, Minnesota
Military Road / County Highway 50, Pine County, Minnesota
Military Road, Windemere Township, Pine County, Minnesota
Military Road / County Road 13, Carlton County, Minnesota
Carlton County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,671 people, 12,064 households, and 8,408 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 13,721 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
Military Road / Township Road 389, Carlton County, Minnesota

Original routing

County Road 4, Carlton County, Minnesota
County Road 1, Carlton County, Minnesota

Extended routing

County Road 4, Carlton County, Minnesota
County Road W, Douglas County, Wisconsin
31st Avenue East, Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...