M-35 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-35 is a state trunkline highway
Michigan Highway System
The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Michigan. The system is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation and comprises of trunklines in all 83 counties of Michigan on...

 in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...

 (UP) of the US state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. Running for 127.99 miles (206 km) in a general north–south direction, it connects the cities of Menominee
Menominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...

, Escanaba
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...

 and Negaunee
Negaunee, Michigan
Negaunee is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,576 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township. The city is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum...

. The southern section of M-35 in Menominee
Menominee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,326 people, 10,529 households, and 7,001 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 13,639 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

 and Delta
Delta County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,520 people, 15,836 households, and 10,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile . There were 19,223 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

 counties carries two additional designations. M-35 forms a segment of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, and it is the UP Hidden Coast Recreational Heritage Trail, which is a part of the Michigan Heritage Route
Michigan Heritage Route
Michigan Heritage Route is a designation for roads in Michigan. The designation was created by the state legislature in 1993.The program emphasizes cooperation among local residents, government officials, landowners and interested groups to preserve unique scenic, historic or recreational...

s system. Along the southern section, the highway is the closest trunkline to the Green Bay, a section of 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...

, and is also the shortest route between Menominee and Escanaba. The northern section of the highway turns inland through wooded terrain, connecting rural portions of Delta and Marquette
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...

 counties.

M-35 is an original state trunkline that was first designated by July 1, 1919, originally intended to run from Menominee in the south to near Big Bay
Big Bay, Michigan
Big Bay is an unincorporated community in Marquette County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 265...

 in the north, before turning toward L'Anse
L'Anse, Michigan
L'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....

 to end at Ontonagon
Ontonagon, Michigan
Ontonagon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 1,769. It is the county seat of Ontonagon County....

. However, the section through the Huron Mountains
Huron Mountains
The Huron Mountains are located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, mostly in Marquette and Baraga counties, overlooking Lake Superior. Their highest peak is Mount Arvon which, at above sea level, is the highest point in the state of Michigan. Nearby Mt...

 in northern Marquette and Baraga counties
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...

 was never built. Automobile pioneer Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...

 helped halt this construction to gain favor with and membership in the exclusive Huron Mountain Club
Huron Mountain Club
The Huron Mountain Club is a private club whose land holdings, located in Marquette County, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, constitute one of the largest tracts of primeval forest in the Great Lakes region. Formed circa 1890, the club consists of 50 dwellings clustered inside about of private...

. Some discontinuous sections were later ceded to local control. The northern segment of the route between Ontonagon and Baraga
Baraga, Michigan
Baraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....

 was retained as a discontinuous segment of the highway; this northern segment was redesignated as another state trunkline. The northern end was rerouted out of the City of Negaunee into Negaunee Township
Negaunee Township, Michigan
Negaunee Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,707 at the 2000 census. The City of Negaunee is located at the southwest corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous.-Geography:...

 to avoid mining activity near Palmer
Palmer, Michigan
Palmer is an unincorporated community in Richmond Township, Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. The CDP population was 449 at the 2000 census.The Palmer ZIP code is 49871,...

.

Route description

M-35 is primarily a two-lane roadway, with the exception of the 8.418 miles (13.547 km) section between Escanaba
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...

 and Gladstone
Gladstone, Michigan
Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Saunders Point. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census....

. This section is a four-lane divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...

 that runs concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with US Highway 2/US Highway 41 (US 2/US 41). M-35 is also listed on the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

 along the US 2/US 41 concurrency. The southern terminus is in the City of Menominee
Menominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...

. From there, M-35 runs northeasterly to the Escanaba area before turning northwesterly to its northern terminus outside of the City of Negaunee
Negaunee, Michigan
Negaunee is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,576 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township. The city is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum...

 in Negaunee Township
Negaunee Township, Michigan
Negaunee Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,707 at the 2000 census. The City of Negaunee is located at the southwest corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous.-Geography:...

.

Menominee to Gladstone

The southern terminus of M-35 is north of downtown Menominee, at the corner of 10th Street (US 41) and North Shore Drive. It is a Y-shaped intersection near John Henes Park. This park sits on 50 acres (20.2 ha) of land, and it was donated to the City of Menominee by German–American brewer John Henes in 1907. M-35 leads northeast from the intersection before turning north to head out of town. The highway runs northeasterly following the shoreline of the Green Bay, toward Escanaba
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...

. M-35 between Menominee and Gladstone forms part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.

On August 26, 2007, the Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Department of Transportation
The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...

 (MDOT) announced that this section of M-35 was also designated the UP Hidden Coast Recreational Heritage Trail running for 64 miles (103 km) between Menominee and Gladstone. As a part of the heritage trail, M-35 passes the mouths of the Cedar
Cedar River (Menominee County, Michigan)
Cedar River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan, that rises in the northern part of Menominee County at and flows mostly south and east to empty into Green Bay at in the community of Cedar River....

 and Bark
Bark River (Michigan)
Bark River is a river in the upper peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is approximately 17 miles long and flows into Green Bay on Lake Michigan in Ford River Township about 15 miles southwest of Escanaba at ....

 rivers. Wells State Park is located on M-35 in Cedar River and Fuller Park is at the mouth of the Bark River.
MDOT's press release states:
M-35 is the shortest state trunkline highway between Menominee and Escanaba. Under American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...

 (AASHTO) guidelines, US Highways
United States Numbered Highways
The system of United States Numbered Highways is an integrated system of roads and highways in the United States numbered within a nationwide grid...

 are to follow the most direct path between two locations, but US 41 runs inland and M-35 goes more directly up the Lake Michigan shoreline. According to the 2007 MDOT State Highway Map, the US 41 route runs for 65 miles (105 km) versus 55 miles (89 km) for M-35. The original map for the US Highway System shows US 41 continuing north from Powers
Powers, Michigan
Powers is a village in Menominee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 430 at the 2000 census. It was named for John Powers, a bookkeeper for a logging company that came into the area in the late 19th century....

 on a direct line to Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...

. This routing would be more direct than the current US 41 routing, but has not been built.

At the Menominee
Menominee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,326 people, 10,529 households, and 7,001 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 13,639 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

Delta
Delta County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,520 people, 15,836 households, and 10,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile . There were 19,223 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

 county line, M-35 passes from the Central to the Eastern Time Zone. After passing the south side of Escanaba, M-35 runs into town on Lake Shore Drive, passing to the south and east of the Delta County Airport
Delta County Airport
Delta County Airport is a public airport two miles southwest of Escanaba, a city in Delta County, Michigan, USA. The airport covers 944 acres and has two runways...

 before turning onto Lincoln Road. Just west of downtown, US 2/US 41 join M-35 at the intersection of Ludington Street and Lincoln Road. Ludington and Lincoln form the east–west and north–south axes respectively of the Escanaba street numbering grid. From these two streets, the east–west avenues and north–south streets are numbered in a grid in the City of Escanaba. US 2/US 41 enter Escanaba from the west along Ludington Street, turning north along Lincoln Road, joining M-35. Here, M-35 joins the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

, which is a road system important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.

From Escanaba, M-35 runs concurrently with US 2 and US 41 to Gladstone
Gladstone, Michigan
Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Saunders Point. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census....

, where M-35 logs its highest average annual daily traffic (AADT) counts. The 2006 AADT figures show that 25,800 vehicles use the highway per day on a segment in north Escanaba. Between the two cities, US 2/US 41/M-35 crosses the Escanaba River
Escanaba River
The Escanaba River is a river in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.In his poem The Song of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes how Hiawatha "crossed the rushing Esconaba". It is a wide river that cuts into limestone beds...

 near the mouth just south of the paper mill. North of the Escanaba, the highway follows the shoreline of Little Bay de Noc
Little Bay de Noc
Little Bay de Noc is a bay in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The bay opens into Lake Michigan's Green Bay.The bay, consisting of approximately 30,000 acres , is enclosed by Delta County...

 to Gladstone. M-35 separates from US 2/US 41 at an intersection with 4th Avenue North in Gladstone. This also marks the end of the National Highway System, Lake Michigan Circle Tour and Michigan Heritage Route designations on M-35.

Gladstone to Negaunee

M-35 turns northwesterly in Gladstone through northern Delta County and southern Marquette County and crosses the Days River
Days River
The Days River is a river in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.It is a narrow river that is rocky, scenic and supports brook, steelhead trout, rainbow trout and smelt in the spring. The river runs south to its mouth on Little Bay De Noc on Lake Michigan at , near Masonville...

 in Brampton. From Perkins
Perkins, Michigan
Perkins is an unincorporated community in Delta County, Michigan, United States. Perkins is located in Baldwin Township along M-35, north-northwest of Gladstone. Perkins has a post office with ZIP code 49872.- History :...

 north, M-35 runs parallel to the Lake Superior & Ishpeming
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896...

 rail line between the iron mines of Marquette County and Escanaba. The station of Maple Ridge was located in the community of Rock
Rock, Michigan
Rock is an unincorporated community in Delta County, Michigan, United States. Rock is located in Maple Ridge Township along M-35 and the Canadian National Railway, north-northwest of Gladstone. Rock has a post office with ZIP code 49880.- History :...

 along this line. M-35 crosses into Marquette County in the unincorporated location of McFarland and crosses the rail line before reaching the Little Lake in the community of the same name. The highway runs east–west through Little Lake to Gwinn
Gwinn, Michigan
Gwinn is an unincorporated community in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is in Forsyth Township at on M-35 near the forks of the east and middle branches of the Escanaba River. Gwinn is a census-designated place for statistical purposes, and the CDP includes the...

.

Built as a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...

 by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, Gwinn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 as the "Gwinn Model Town
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

 Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...

, Forsyth Township
Forsyth Township, Michigan
Forsyth Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,824 at the 2000 census. Forsyth Township is one of the few townships in the Upper Peninsula that has its own police department. Forsyth Township is larger than the City of Detroit in land...

, Marquette County, Michigan". M-35 follows Stephenson Avenue through the neighborhood of New Swanzy westward to the community of Gwinn. Inside Gwinn, the highway follows Pine Street northwest, passing through the downtown and into residential areas along Pine and Iron streets.

M-35 runs northwest of Gwinn to Palmer
Palmer, Michigan
Palmer is an unincorporated community in Richmond Township, Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. The CDP population was 449 at the 2000 census.The Palmer ZIP code is 49871,...

 along the outskirts of Cleveland-Cliffs' Empire Mine, where large piles of waste rock
Overburden
Overburden is the material that lies above an area of economic or scientific interest in mining and archaeology; most commonly the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above a coal seam or ore body. It is also known as 'waste' or 'spoil'...

 from the mining operations tower over the roadway. According to MDOT, the segment through Palmer logged the highway's lowest AADT, only 1,200 vehicles per day, in 2006. North of Palmer, M-35 runs past Goose Lake to end in Negaunee Township. The northern terminus is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Negaunee, just east of the former Marquette County Airport and the studios of WLUC-TV
WLUC-TV
WLUC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula licensed to Marquette. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter on South Helen Lake Road southeast of Republic in rural Marquette County. The station can also be seen...

6 on US 41/M-28
M-28 (Michigan highway)
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...

.

History

The first path along part of the modern M-35 roadway was the Sault and Green Bay Trail, an old Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 trail, between Menominee
Menominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...

 and Escanaba
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...

. This trail continued eastward from Escanaba to Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...

 and southerly to Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

. It was a narrow path of approximately 12–18 inches (30–40 cm) in width, wide enough to permit single-file traffic.

When designated by July 1, 1919, M-35 was to run from M-12
M-12 (Michigan highway)
M-12 is a former state highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was replaced in 1926 by:*U.S. Route 2 in Michigan between the state line at Ironwood and Crystal Falls*M-69 between Crystal Falls and Sagola...

/M-15
M-15 (Michigan highway)
M-15 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is a junction with US Highway 24 just south of Clarkston on the northwestern edge of the Detroit metropolitan area. The trunkline is a recreational route running north and northwest to the...

 (modern US 2/US 41) at Gladstone
Gladstone, Michigan
Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Saunders Point. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census....

 in the south to Palmer
Palmer, Michigan
Palmer is an unincorporated community in Richmond Township, Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. The CDP population was 449 at the 2000 census.The Palmer ZIP code is 49871,...

 before terminating in Negaunee
Negaunee, Michigan
Negaunee is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,576 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township. The city is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum...

 at M-15 (modern US 41). Most maps showed M-35 continuing north to L'Anse. At the time of M-35's creation, another designation, M-91
M-91 (Michigan highway)
M-91 is a largely north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from Belding to south of Lakeview. Its length exists entirely within Ionia and Montcalm counties. It is all undivided surface route...

, was assigned to a highway from Menominee northward to Cedar River. By 1930, M-35 was extended southerly along US 2/US 41 from Gladstone to Escanaba. From there, M-35 continued as a new highway along the Green Bay shoreline to Cedar River and supplanted M-91.

Huron Mountains

In 1919, the State Department of Highways, forerunner to today's MDOT, designated a scenic shoreline trunkline to run north from Negaunee to Skanee and L'Anse
L'Anse, Michigan
L'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....

 by way of Big Bay
Big Bay, Michigan
Big Bay is an unincorporated community in Marquette County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any legal status as an incorporated municipality. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 265...

. The highway would continue from the L'Anse and Baraga
Baraga, Michigan
Baraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....

 area to eventually end at Ontonagon
Ontonagon, Michigan
Ontonagon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 1,769. It is the county seat of Ontonagon County....

 at an intersection with M-64
M-64 (Michigan highway)
M-64 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for through the western part of the state in land that is part of the Ottawa National Forest. The highway connects with County Trunk Highway B at the state line near Presque Isle, Wisconsin....

. Local Upper Peninsula historian Fred Rydholm summarized the routing planned in 1925 as extending "... in a northwesterly direction, across the Dead River
Dead River (Michigan)
The Dead River is a river in Marquette County, Michigan. Its watershed is approximately in size. The river flows southeasterly from western Marquette County to its mouth on Lake Superior....

, over the Panorama Hills, then west past the Elm Creek swamp, along the south side of Burnt Mountain, across the Cedar Creek, the Cliff Stream and out past Cliff Lake to Skanee and L'Anse". This highway was designated as an extension of M-35, which ended in downtown Negaunee. Work was completed on a significant portion of the route in Marquette County
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...

 by 1926. M-35 was routed east along M-15 toward Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...

 before turning north-northwesterly toward Big Bay. This section of roadway follows the modern Marquette County Road 510 (CR 510). Similar work was completed in Baraga County
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...

 connecting L'Anse and Skanee by 1932.

Construction on the two ends left the center portion through the Huron Mountains
Huron Mountains
The Huron Mountains are located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, mostly in Marquette and Baraga counties, overlooking Lake Superior. Their highest peak is Mount Arvon which, at above sea level, is the highest point in the state of Michigan. Nearby Mt...

 unfinished and shown on state maps as a dashed line marked "impassable". The section not included in CR 510, with guard rails and cement culverts has been called "Blind 35" since.

The Steel Bridge

One of the first tasks for the State Highway Department was bridging the Dead River in Negaunee Township, 3 miles (5 km) north of US 41. The state solved the problem by buying a bridge in Pennsylvania, where bridges of this design were more common. MDOT describes the bridge as:
The bridge is still in place over the Dead River and previously carried CR 510 as the successor to M-35 in northern Marquette County. Known locally as "The Steel Bridge", it survived a May 15, 2003 flood caused by the breaching of the Silver Lake Dam. The Marquette County Road Commission had announced plans in 2006 to bypass the Steel Bridge with a modern replacement, leaving the existing bridge as a footpath or bike path. Construction on the bypass road and replacement bridge was begun in October 2007. The concrete work for the replacement span was started in late 2009, with an original projected completion date of November 1, 2010. The new crossing is 100 feet (30.5 m) above river level compared to the 10 feet (3 m) for the 1921 span. The total budget for bridge construction is $4.5 million with an additional $1.7 million for the approach work, with an 80 percent federal, 15 percent state and 5 percent county funding split. The new bridge opened to traffic in September 2010, diverting traffic from the Steel Bridge. Completion of the new span came after about a decade of planning.

Henry Ford

Records of the Huron Mountain Club
Huron Mountain Club
The Huron Mountain Club is a private club whose land holdings, located in Marquette County, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, constitute one of the largest tracts of primeval forest in the Great Lakes region. Formed circa 1890, the club consists of 50 dwellings clustered inside about of private...

, an exclusive private organization with large land holdings in northern Michigan, show that Henry Ford visited the Upper Peninsula many times, including at least once with Harvey Firestone
Harvey Firestone
Harvey Samuel Firestone was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires.-Family background:...

 and Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...

 on Ford's yacht, Sialia. Many of these trips involved research to keep his operations supplied. His UP land provided wood for the manufacture of Ford automobiles such as the Model T, which required 250 board foot (0.58993425 m³) of lumber per car. Ford, who was considering becoming the "owner–producer–handler" of the resources he needed, invested in sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

s in Alberta
Alberta, Michigan
Alberta is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on U.S. Route 41 about eight miles south of the village of L'Anse at...

 and Kingsford
Kingsford, Michigan
Kingsford is a city in Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,549 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI Micropolitan Statistical Area....

. He also bought the entire town of Pequaming
Pequaming, Michigan
Pequaming is an unincorporated community in L'Anse Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The geographic coordinates are .Originally home to Chippewa tribes, the site was named for "Pequa quaming," a narrow neck of land almost surrounded by water...

, along the shores of the Keweenaw Bay
Keweenaw Bay
Keweenaw Bay is an arm of Lake Superior in North America. It is located adjacent to the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, to the southeast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is also the name of a small community near the bay....

. The town belonged to Dan Hebard, who also sold Ford a sawmill, tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

s, a 14-room bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...

, and land near the Huron Mountain Club. Hebard retired to spend his summers at a cabin on the Pine River on land belonging to the Club.

Ford built a hydroelectric dam along the Menominee River
Menominee River
The Menominee River is a river in northwestern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin in the United States. It is approximately 118 mi , draining a rural forested area of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan...

 to supply power to the Kingsford mill, bought the Imperial Mine, and opened the Blueberry Mine near Ishpeming
Ishpeming, Michigan
Ishpeming is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,686 at the 2000 census. This is down from a higher population in the 1950s and 1960s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had a much higher employment level...

 to supply iron ore. The Ford Railroad was constructed between L'Anse
L'Anse, Michigan
L'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....

 and the Cliff River for his logging operations on 300000 acres (121,405.8 ha) of timberland purchased in 1922. He often visited the Upper Peninsula on business, but as early as 1917, the year he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate, he sought entry into the Huron Mountain Club. Since the club limited its membership, Ford worked to improve his chances. His admission would ultimately come when M-35 construction was halted in the Huron Mountains.

Hunters, campers, hikers, fishermen and some landowners opposed highway construction near the Huron Mountains. Rydholm said, "... there seemed to be no groundswell of sentiment in favor of it, but it looked as the though the die was cast and nothing could be done to stop it". The Huron Mountain Club members opposed the highway because it would open vast reaches of the back country and might harm the wilderness. Highway construction would also open the possibility of a resort hotel. William C. Weber, a real estate developer from Detroit, owned property along Mountain Lake, in northern Marquette County. A Michigan attorney general
Michigan Attorney General
The Attorney General of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan and one of four great offices of state. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, members of the Senate and...

's opinion provided a way for blocking the road if two-thirds of the property over which the road would pass was owned by people opposed to the project. The proposed highway was to cross two 40 acres (16.2 ha) parcels of Huron Mountain Club property, but that was not enough to halt construction.

In 1926, Hebard was elected the new president at the Huron Mountain Club and changed its rules for admission. Before the changes, all existing members voted on new admissions, and four "no" votes meant rejection. After Hebard's changes, only club directors could vote, and only one "no" was needed to block election. In 1927, the road grading for M-35 had reached the Salmon Trout River. That same year, Ford bought more land near Mountain Lake. This property encompassed more than the requisite two-thirds necessary to stop construction of the road. In 1928, the road was moved to connect with the Big Bay Road (CR 550), leaving the stub of "Blind 35" behind. According to club records, "by 1929, M-35 was dead in its tracks and Henry Ford was a member". To commemorate his membership, Ford built a white pine log cabin on club property that cost between $80,000 and $100,000 in 1929 (equivalent to $ to $ in ).

After Ford

In 1939, M-35 from Negaunee to Big Bay to L'Anse was officially canceled as a state trunkline highway. Constructed portions were turned over to local control, becoming Skanee Road in Baraga County and CR 510 in Marquette County. This left a discontinuous routing for 13 years. The southern segment of M-35 ran from Menominee to Negaunee, and the northern segment ran from Baraga to Ontonagon along the modern M-38
M-38 (Michigan highway)
M-38 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Its west end starts in Ontonagon and runs east to Baraga, some apart. The highway crosses streams and rivers in forest lands and provides access to a casino...

. The two segments were rejoined in 1953, closing the gap left by the cancelled Huron Mountain route. M-35 signs were added to existing highway signs westward from the end of the southern segment at Negaunee along US 41/M-28 and US 41 to Baraga, to connect with the northern segment westward to Ontonagon.

In 1964, several abandoned underground mine shafts collapsed underneath the roadway, forcing a rerouting of M-35 out of the City of Negaunee. Before the rerouting, M-35 was routed from Palmer north to Negaunee using a portion of County Road near Lucy Hill. It also followed Silver Street connecting with part of BUS M-28
M-28 Business (Ishpeming-Negaunee, Michigan)
M-28 Business Route is a state trunkline highway serving as a business route that runs for through the downtown districts of Ishpeming and Negaunee in Michigan. The trunkline provides a marked route for traffic diverting from U.S. Highway 41 and M-28 through the two historic iron-mining...

, a business loop of M-28, through downtown Negaunee to US 41 north of town. This former segment is still shown on some maps (such as Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...

) as "Old M-35". Since this rerouting, M-35 runs from Palmer past Goose Lake to end in Negaunee Township
Negaunee Township, Michigan
Negaunee Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,707 at the 2000 census. The City of Negaunee is located at the southwest corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous.-Geography:...

. The only naturbahn, or natural track, luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...

 run in North America crosses the former routing of M-35 in Negaunee. This luge run crosses over the abandoned street at the end of County Road at Lucy Hill.

The last major changes to M-35 came in 1968 when the section from Baraga to Ontonagon was given the M-38 designation. The M-35 concurrencies were removed along US 41/M-28 and US 41 in Marquette and Baraga counties. This change shortened the highway designation and moved the northern terminus to the present location in Negaunee Township. Since then, sections of the roadway were realigned in Richmond Township
Richmond Township, Marquette County, Michigan
Richmond Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 974 at the 2000 census. Palmer and the Empire iron mine are located in the township.-Geography:...

 south of Palmer to straighten some of the many curves between Palmer and Gwinn on June 2, 1989. MDOT has started construction of a new 20-space commuter parking lot at the southern terminus of M-553 at M-35 on August 11, 2008 with an expected completion date of August 30, 2008. This is part of an effort to offer expanded ride-sharing opportunities in Marquette County.

Major intersections

The following table shows the major intersections along M-35. Included are intersections with county-designated highways and other primary county roads, other state trunklines and U.S. Highways.

See also

  • Interstate 275
    Interstate 275 (Michigan)
    Interstate 275 in the US state of Michigan is an Interstate Highway that functions as a western bypass of the Detroit metropolitan area. The Michigan Department of Transportation maintains it as a component of the larger state trunkline highway system. The freeway runs through the western suburbs...

    , another highway in Michigan with a northern extension cancelled by landowner opposition


External links

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