U.S. Route 56
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 56 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 640 miles (1,030 km) in the Midwestern United States
. The highway's eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 71 in Kansas City, Missouri
. Its western terminus is at Interstate 25 Business in Springer, New Mexico
. Much of it follows the Santa Fe Trail
, Oklahoma
, Kansas
, and Missouri
. It also touches a corner of Texas
at a small road junction near the New Mexico/Oklahoma border.
east of Gladstone
, and the southern terminus of NM 453. US 56/412 intersect US 64 and US 87 in Clayton, New Mexico
, and US 64 joins with US 56/412 in their trek northeast. The three routes serve as the southern terminus of NM 406
as they enter the Kiowa National Grassland
. The three routes then cross into Oklahoma together.
. US-56/64/412 enter Oklahoma near the southwest corner of the Panhandle, where they also enter Rita Blanca National Grassland
. They leave the grassland near Felt
. Three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Boise City
, US-385 joins the concurrency. The routes then enter Boise City, where they enter a traffic circle around the Cimarron County Courthouse that involves US-56, US-64, US-287, US-385, US-412, State Highway 3
, and SH-325. After leaving the traffic circle, US-56 overlaps US-64, US-287, US-412, and SH-3. One mile (1.6 km) east of the courthouse, US-287 splits off the route to head towards Amarillo, Texas
. US-56/64/412/SH-3 continue northeast for 6 miles (9.7 km), where US-56 splits to travel northeast on its own.
The route parallels the Cimarron Valley Railroad
for the remainder of its time in Oklahoma. Keyes
is the next town on US-56, and it also serves as the northern terminus of SH-171 where the two highways intersect. US-56 crosses into Texas County
east of Sturgis
. Just before crossing the Kansas line, US-56 meets the north end of SH-95. US-56 then enters Kansas on the east edge of Elkhart
.
US-56 enters the state at the Kansas/Oklahoma border near Elkhart
. It weaves its way across the state from southwest to northeast, passing through such towns as Dodge City
, Great Bend
, McPherson
, Council Grove
, and Baldwin City
. It joins with I-35/US-50 southwest of Olathe, Kansas
, and goes northeast with I-35 into the Kansas City
Metro Area. It exits the state as part of Shawnee Mission Parkway
in Merriam
.
, Route 56 follows the noted boulevard Ward Parkway
. The route ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 71.
to the Oklahoma
state line at Elkhart, created the Mid-Continent Diagonal Highway Association to push for a new highway from Springer, New Mexico
(on US 85) northeast across the Oklahoma Panhandle
, along K-45, and continuing to Manitowoc, Wisconsin
on Lake Michigan
. By mid-1954, it was being promoted as U.S. Route 55
between the Great Lakes
and the Southwest. The first submissions to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) to establish the route were made in 1954; all placed the northeast end at Manitowoc, Wisconsin
(absorbing US 151 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
), while they varied on whether the southwest end was to be at Albuquerque, New Mexico
or Nogales, Arizona
. The first route considered in northeast Kansas was via US 40 from Ellsworth to Topeka and K-4
and US 59 via Atchison to St. Joseph, Missouri. A revised route adopted in March 1955, due to AASHO objections to the original route, which overlapped other U.S. Highways for over half of its length, followed K-14
, K-18
, US 24, K-63, K-16
, and US 59 via Lincoln and Manhattan. In July, the US 50-N Association proposed a plan that would have eliminated U.S. Route 50N by routing US 55 along most of its length, from Larned east to Baldwin Junction, and then along US 59 to Lawrence and K-10 to Kansas City; towns on US 50N west of Larned, which would have been bypassed, led a successful fight against this.
However, in September of that year, the Kansas Highway Commission accepted that plan, taking US 55 east to Kansas City, Missouri
. On June 27, 1956, the AASHO Route Numbering Committee considered this refined plan for US 55, between Springer, New Mexico and Kansas City, Missouri, with a short US 155 along the remaining portion of US 50N from Larned west to Garden City. The committee approved the request, but since the proposed route was more east–west than north–south, it changed it to an even number - US 56 - and the spur to US 156.
U.S. 56 originally took a different route between Boise City, Oklahoma and Elkhart, Kansas. The original route followed U.S. 64 east to an intersection south of Eva
. It then split off to the north towards Elkhart. By 1961, the section north of U.S. 64 had been overlaid with State Highway 95. The following year, U.S. 56 was rerouted over SH-114, bringing it to its current diagonal path across the Oklahoma Panhandle. The old alignment is still on the Oklahoma highway system as the north half of SH-95.
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. The highway's eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 71 in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Its western terminus is at Interstate 25 Business in Springer, New Mexico
Springer, New Mexico
Springer is a town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. It was the Colfax County county seat from 1882—1897. Springer was part of the Lucien B. Maxwell land grant. It is near the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail...
. Much of it follows the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
Route description
The highway passes through New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It also touches a corner of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
at a small road junction near the New Mexico/Oklahoma border.
New Mexico
US 56 runs concurrent with US 412 for its entire length in New Mexico, and are signed as such through the state. The two routes begin in Springer and head east towards Abbot, where they serve as the northern terminus of State Road 39. Continuing east, US 56/412 meet the southern terminus of NM 193 south of Farley, the northern terminus of NM 120New Mexico State Road 120
State Road 120 is a long state road in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The route traverses four counties: Colfax, Mora, Harding, and Union, and is the longest state road in New Mexico...
east of Gladstone
Gladstone, New Mexico
Gladstone is an unincorporated community in Union County, New Mexico, founded in 1880. It lies at the intersection of US Route 56 and Union County Road C001. The post office which opened in 1888 closed in 2010.-History:...
, and the southern terminus of NM 453. US 56/412 intersect US 64 and US 87 in Clayton, New Mexico
Clayton, New Mexico
Clayton is a town in Union County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,524 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union County. Tourists heading from Texas to Colorado often pass through Clayton, which is located in the northeast corner of New Mexico.Clayton is named for a son of...
, and US 64 joins with US 56/412 in their trek northeast. The three routes serve as the southern terminus of NM 406
New Mexico State Road 406
State Road 406 is a state highway in Union County, New Mexico, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 56/64/412 near Clayton northward to end at SR 456 near the Oklahoma border. It stays entirely within Union County....
as they enter the Kiowa National Grassland
Kiowa National Grassland
Kiowa National Grassland is a National Grassland located in New Mexico, USA. The Great Plains grassland includes prairie and part of the Canadian River Canyon.-Sections:...
. The three routes then cross into Oklahoma together.
Oklahoma
US-56's short path through Oklahoma consists of a diagonal slice across the western part of the Oklahoma PanhandleOklahoma Panhandle
The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, comprising Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the handle of a cooking pan....
. US-56/64/412 enter Oklahoma near the southwest corner of the Panhandle, where they also enter Rita Blanca National Grassland
Rita Blanca National Grassland
Rita Blanca National Grassland is a National Grassland located in northern Dallam County, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle, and in southern Cimarron County, Oklahoma, in the western Oklahoma Panhandle, USA. It is not one solid block of government owned land but rather several small blocks of...
. They leave the grassland near Felt
Felt, Oklahoma
Felt is a small unincorporated community in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named for C.F.W. Felt of the Santa Fe Railroad. Nearby is the Cedar Breaks Archaeological District. Approximately 100 people live in the area, and they are served by a post office , a school, and a co-op....
. Three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Boise City
Boise City, Oklahoma
Boise City is a city in and the county seat of Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,266 at the 2010 census.'Boise' rhymes with 'voice'...
, US-385 joins the concurrency. The routes then enter Boise City, where they enter a traffic circle around the Cimarron County Courthouse that involves US-56, US-64, US-287, US-385, US-412, State Highway 3
State Highway 3 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 3, also abbreviated as SH-3 or OK-3, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Traveling diagonally through Oklahoma, from the Panhandle to the far southeastern corner of the state, SH-3 is the longest state highway in the Oklahoma road system, at a total length of...
, and SH-325. After leaving the traffic circle, US-56 overlaps US-64, US-287, US-412, and SH-3. One mile (1.6 km) east of the courthouse, US-287 splits off the route to head towards Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. US-56/64/412/SH-3 continue northeast for 6 miles (9.7 km), where US-56 splits to travel northeast on its own.
The route parallels the Cimarron Valley Railroad
Cimarron Valley Railroad
The Cimarron Valley Railroad was built circa 1912 and purchased from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in February 1996. It runs over former C.V. and Manter Subdivisions of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad tracks in Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas. One line runs from Dodge City, KS...
for the remainder of its time in Oklahoma. Keyes
Keyes, Oklahoma
Keyes is a town in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 324 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Keyes is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
is the next town on US-56, and it also serves as the northern terminus of SH-171 where the two highways intersect. US-56 crosses into Texas County
Texas County, Oklahoma
Texas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Texas County was formed at Oklahoma statehood from the central one-third of "Old Beaver County" also known as "No Man's Land"...
east of Sturgis
Sturgis, Oklahoma
Sturgis is an unincorporated community in northeastern Cimarron County, Oklahoma. It is located on a railroad just north of U.S. Route 56.-References:...
. Just before crossing the Kansas line, US-56 meets the north end of SH-95. US-56 then enters Kansas on the east edge of Elkhart
Elkhart, Kansas
Elkhart is a city in and the county seat of Morton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,205.-Geography:Elkhart is located at...
.
Kansas
Elkhart, Kansas
Elkhart is a city in and the county seat of Morton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,205.-Geography:Elkhart is located at...
. It weaves its way across the state from southwest to northeast, passing through such towns as Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, Great Bend
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
, McPherson
McPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
, Council Grove
Council Grove, Kansas
Council Grove is a city in Morris County, Kansas, United States. It was named after an agreement between European Americans and the Osage Nation about allowing settlers' wagon trains to pass through the area and proceed to the West. Pioneers gathered at a grove of trees so that wagons could band...
, and Baldwin City
Baldwin City, Kansas
Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States about south of Lawrence and west of Gardner. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,515. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It joins with I-35/US-50 southwest of Olathe, Kansas
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
, and goes northeast with I-35 into the Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
Metro Area. It exits the state as part of Shawnee Mission Parkway
Shawnee Mission Parkway
Shawnee Mission Parkway is a stretch of roadway in Johnson County, Kansas and Jackson County, Missouri . Its western terminus at K-7 in Shawnee, Kansas and its eastern terminus at Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri...
in Merriam
Merriam, Kansas
Merriam is a city in the northeastern part of Johnson County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,003. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, it is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
.
Missouri
For one mile (1.6 km) in Kansas City's Country Club PlazaCountry Club Plaza
The Country Club Plaza is an upscale shopping district and residential neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It was the first shopping center in the world designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile...
, Route 56 follows the noted boulevard Ward Parkway
Ward Parkway
Ward Parkway is a boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri near the Kansas-Missouri state line. Ward Parkway begins at Brookside Boulevard on the eastern edge of the Country Club Plaza and continues westward along Brush Creek as U.S. Route 56 until it turns southward across the creek just before the...
. The route ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 71.
History
In the early 1950s, towns along what was then the K-45 corridor, connecting Ellsworth, KansasEllsworth, Kansas
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,120.-19th century:...
to the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
state line at Elkhart, created the Mid-Continent Diagonal Highway Association to push for a new highway from Springer, New Mexico
Springer, New Mexico
Springer is a town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. It was the Colfax County county seat from 1882—1897. Springer was part of the Lucien B. Maxwell land grant. It is near the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail...
(on US 85) northeast across the Oklahoma Panhandle
Oklahoma Panhandle
The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, comprising Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the handle of a cooking pan....
, along K-45, and continuing to Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. By mid-1954, it was being promoted as U.S. Route 55
U.S. Route 55
U.S. Route 55 was a north–south United States highway. Despite the "5" in its route number, US 55 was never a long route. Though it was part of the original 1926 numbering plan, it was deleted within 10 years.-Route description:...
between the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and the Southwest. The first submissions to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) to establish the route were made in 1954; all placed the northeast end at Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
(absorbing US 151 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
), while they varied on whether the southwest end was to be at Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
or Nogales, Arizona
Nogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
. The first route considered in northeast Kansas was via US 40 from Ellsworth to Topeka and K-4
K-4 (Kansas highway)
K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.-Western Kansas:K-4...
and US 59 via Atchison to St. Joseph, Missouri. A revised route adopted in March 1955, due to AASHO objections to the original route, which overlapped other U.S. Highways for over half of its length, followed K-14
K-14 (Kansas highway)
K-14 is a north–south state highway which runs most of the length of the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway runs through the central part of the state.-Route description:...
, K-18
K-18 (Kansas highway)
K-18 is a primarily east–west state highway running between US-24 and I-70 in north central Kansas.-Route description:K-18 begins near the town of Bogue in Graham County as it branches off to the south from US-24...
, US 24, K-63, K-16
K-16 (Kansas highway)
K-16 is a state highway in Kansas. It starts at a junction with U.S. Highway 77 just north of Randolph and ends in Tonganoxie with U.S. 24 and U.S. 40.-Route description:...
, and US 59 via Lincoln and Manhattan. In July, the US 50-N Association proposed a plan that would have eliminated U.S. Route 50N by routing US 55 along most of its length, from Larned east to Baldwin Junction, and then along US 59 to Lawrence and K-10 to Kansas City; towns on US 50N west of Larned, which would have been bypassed, led a successful fight against this.
However, in September of that year, the Kansas Highway Commission accepted that plan, taking US 55 east to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. On June 27, 1956, the AASHO Route Numbering Committee considered this refined plan for US 55, between Springer, New Mexico and Kansas City, Missouri, with a short US 155 along the remaining portion of US 50N from Larned west to Garden City. The committee approved the request, but since the proposed route was more east–west than north–south, it changed it to an even number - US 56 - and the spur to US 156.
U.S. 56 originally took a different route between Boise City, Oklahoma and Elkhart, Kansas. The original route followed U.S. 64 east to an intersection south of Eva
Eva, Oklahoma
Eva is an unincorporated community in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located along State Highway 95. Four Corners is to the south....
. It then split off to the north towards Elkhart. By 1961, the section north of U.S. 64 had been overlaid with State Highway 95. The following year, U.S. 56 was rerouted over SH-114, bringing it to its current diagonal path across the Oklahoma Panhandle. The old alignment is still on the Oklahoma highway system as the north half of SH-95.