Today's system of Colorado highways (their numbers and a good portion of the alignments) can trace their origin to May 1923, when the Colorado Highway Advisory Board approved them. Many of the state highway numbers in place today are holdovers from then. But previous to that there was another system of numbered state highways in Colorado. I do not know one way or the other whether it was signed in any way. Barring any other information, Wisconsin has the title of having the first numbered and signed state highway system, dating to 1918.
This highway system appears to not have any rhyme or reason to it. Numbers meander in a fashion like Wisconsin's system. Also there are many routes with "s" suffixes, which I cannot figure out the significance of that. The "s" does not appear to mean "spur" or "south". In most cases the "s" route is not linked in any way to the "parent" route. Routes here labeled as "projected" are routes that on the map have a line style different from the normal routes. The legend does not specifically say that it means projected, but I don't know what else it might mean.
Source: Map of State Highways of Colorado, issued by the State Highway Commission, printed by Clason Map Company, July 1919; held at the Western Geneology Center, Denver Public Library
|
Route |
Alignment |
|
1 |
Golden - Denver (via 44th Avenue?) |
|
1s |
Denver - Parker - Franktown - Jct. Route 8 north of Colorado Springs |
|
2 |
Denver - Broomfield - Longmont - Fort Collins - Wellington - Wyoming |
|
3 |
Denver - Littleton - Sedalia - Perry Park - Palmer Lake - Jct. Route 8 |
|
3s |
Greeley - Nunn - Wyoming |
|
4 |
Colorado Springs - Fountain - Pueblo |
|
5 |
Cañon City - Pueblo - Vineland - Avondale - Fowler - Rocky Ford - La Junta |
|
5s |
Stratton - Yuma |
|
6 |
La Junta - Lamar - Granada - Bristol - Holly - Kansas |
|
6s |
Burlington - Wray |
|
7 |
Jct. Route 8 south of Longmont - Dacono - Fort Lupton - Wiggins - Brush Spur from Route 7 south to Bennett - Denver |
|
7s |
Jct. Route 8s southwest of Silver Cliff - Beulah - Pueblo |
|
8 |
Colorado Springs - Palmer Lake - Castle Rock - Franktown - Kiowa; Projected from Kiowa - River Bend |
|
8s |
Silver Cliff - Wetmore - Pueblo |
|
9 |
Brush - Sterling - Julesburg |
|
9s |
Projected Bristol - Sheridan Lake - Cheyenne Wells; Cheyenne Wells - Burlington |
|
10 |
Glenwood Springs - Wolcott - Red Cliff - Leadville |
|
10s |
Jct. Route 36 - Center - Hooper - Alamosa |
|
11 |
Utah - Mack - Grand Junction - up Plateau Creek - DeBeque - Rifle - Glenwood Springs |
|
11s |
Estes Park - Lyons - Boulder |
|
12 |
Grand Junction - Delta - Montrose |
|
12s |
Lyons - Longmont |
|
13 |
Montrose - Ouray - Silverton - Durango - New Mexico |
|
14 |
Utah due east - Cortez - Durango |
|
14s |
Drake - Berthoud - Campion - Johnstown - Jct. Route 49 |
|
15 |
Durango - Pagosa Springs - Summitville - Estrella |
|
15s |
Jefferson - Tarryall - Lake George |
|
16 |
New Mexico - Alamosa - Blanca - La Veta - Walsenburg |
|
16s |
Divide - Deckers - Sedalia |
|
17 |
Dillon - Leadville - Buena Vista - Salida |
|
17s |
Jct. Route 6 west of Lamar - Eads - Kit Carson |
|
18 |
Buena Vista - Hartsel - Florrisant - Colorado Springs |
|
18s |
Karval - Hugo - Genoa |
|
19 |
New Mexico - San Luis - Fort Garland |
|
19s |
Flagler - Thurmann - Akron; Projected from Akron - Atwood |
|
20 |
Utah - Paradox - Naturita - Montrose - Gunnison |
|
20s |
Projected from Rocky Ford - Ordway - Limon; Limon - Brush |
|
21 |
Sulphur Springs - Berthoud Pass - Golden (not via Clear Creek Canyon) Spur west to Georgetown |
|
21s |
Monument - Eastonville - Peyton |
|
22 (1) |
Arboles north to Jct. Route 15 |
|
22 (2) |
Salida - Cañon City - Florence - Penrose - Colorado Springs |
|
23 |
Sterling then east, north, east - Fleming - Haxtun - Holyoke - Nebraska |
|
23s |
Jct Route 27 west of Morrison - Fort Logan - Englewood |
|
24 |
Loveland - Greeley - Dearfield - Goodrich - Weldona - Fort Morgan |
|
24s |
Wray - Holyoke - Julesburg |
|
25 |
Glenwood Springs - Aspen - Twin Lakes |
|
25s |
Projected from Jct. Route 33s east of Two Buttes - Granada |
|
26 |
Pueblo - Walsenburg - Trinidad - New Mexico |
|
26s |
Projected from Two Buttes - Carlton |
|
27 |
El Rancho - Evergreen - Morrison - Denver |
|
27s |
Projected from Haswell - Boyero - Thurman |
|
28 |
Gunnison - Salida |
|
28s |
Projected from Kit Carson - Seibert - Hyde; Hyde - Otis north to Jct. Route 23 |
|
29 |
Trinidad - La Junta |
|
29s |
Yuma - Haxtun |
|
30 |
Colorado Springs - Calhan - Limon - Seibert - Burlington - Kansas |
|
30s |
Projected from Jct. Route 34 - Vilas - Stonington - Jct. Route 2s |
|
31s |
Gateway - Whitewater |
|
32 |
Limon - Hugo - Kit Carson - Cheyenne Wells - Kansas |
|
32s |
Projected from La Jara - La Sauses - San Luis |
|
33 |
Flowler - Olney Springs - Ordway - Eads - Sheridan Lake - Kansas |
|
33s |
Projected from Jct. Route 34 at the Prowers/Baca County Line - Two Buttes - Jct. Route 2s |
|
34 |
Oklahoma - Springfield - Lamar |
|
35 |
Jct. Route 18 west of Hartsel - Fairplay - Bailey - Morrison |
|
36 |
Poncha Springs - Sagauche - Monte Vista - Jct. Route 15 west of Estrella Spur from Sagauche - Parlin |
|
37 |
Texas Creek - Silver Cliff - Cañon City - Cripple Creek - Divide |
|
38 |
Iola - Lake City - Creede - South Fork - Del Norte - Alamosa |
|
39 |
Wolcott - State Bridge - Radium - Hot Sulphur Springs |
|
40 |
Steamboat Springs - Phippsburg - State Bridge Spur - Toponas - Jct. Route 47 north of Kremmling |
|
41 |
Utah - Craig - Steamboat Springs |
|
42 |
Dinosaur - Rangely - Meeker - Craig - Wyoming Spur south - Rifle |
|
43 |
Steamboat Springs - Rabbit Ears Pass - Walden - Rand - Granby |
|
44 |
Naturia - Norwood - Placerville - Telluride Spur Placerville - Ridgway |
|
45 |
Cortez - Dolores - Rico - Telluride Spur Dolores - Norwood |
|
46 (1) |
Delta - Hotchkiss - Sapinero |
|
46 (2) |
Jct. Route 15 near Summitville via Rio Conejos - Jct. Route 67 west of Conejos |
|
47 |
Rabbit Ears Pass - Troublesome - Dillon - Breckenridge - Fairplay - Hartsel |
|
48 |
Silverton - Jct. Route 38 southwest of Creede |
|
49 |
Denver - Brighton - Greeley |
|
50 |
Wyoming - Cowdrey - Walden via Red Feather Lakes - Fort Collins |
|
51 |
Granby - Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park - Loveland |
|
52 |
Steamboat Springs - Columbine - Wyoming |
|
53 |
Colorado Springs - Ellicot - Rush - Kutch - Boyero |
|
54 |
Idaho Springs - Central City - Nederland - Boulder |
|
55 |
Beshoar Junction - Trinchera - New Mexico |
|
58 |
Rollinsville - Lyeden - Arvada - Denver |
|
59 |
Adams City - Hudson |
|
60 |
Jct. Route 15 northeast of Pagosa Springs - South Fork |
|
62 |
Central City - Black Hawk - Golden Gate - Golden - Denver via Colfax Ave. |
|
63 |
Hotchkiss - Somerset - Kebler Pass - Crested Butte - Gunnison |
|
64 |
Bardine (current Somerset Reservoir) - Carbondale |
|
65 |
Jct. Route 46 east of Delta - Cedaredge - Collbran - Jct. Route 11 |
|
66 |
Fort Collins - Timnath - Eaton - Galeton - Cornish - Briggsdale - Buckingham - Sterling |
|
67 |
Pagosa Springs - Chromo - New Mexico, through New Mexico - Cumbres - Jct. Route 46 east of Conejos |
|
68 |
Del Norte - Jct. Route 36 south of Sagauche |
|
69 |
Silver Cliff - Gardner - Walsenburg |
|
70 |
Trinidad - Sontewall; Projected Stonewall - La Veta |
|
73 |
Projected Evergreen - Conifer |
|
74 |
Projected Virginia Dale - Livermore |
|
76 |
Projected Cripple Creek - Colorado Springs |
|
77 |
Projected Cripple Creek - Florence |
|
78 |
Projected Cripple Creek - Florissant |
|
79 |
Dolores via Dolores River - Cedar - Norwood |
|
81 |
Projected Stonewall - New Mexico |
|
82 |
Projected from Jct. Ropute 9 northeast of Sterling - Nebraska |
|
85 |
Projected Colorado Springs - Jct. Route 21s west of Eastonville |
|
86 |
Projected Jct. Route 85 due east - Falcon |
|
87 |
Littleton - Denver (via Broadway?) |
|
88 |
Littleton - Jct. Route 1s (via Belleview?) |
|
89 (1) |
Projected Falcon - Jct. Route 21s west of Eastonville |
|
89 (2) |
Projected Pueblo - Baxter - Olney Springs |
|
97 |
Projected Nucla - Delta |
Continue:
Last updated 17 March 2001