Colorado Highways:
Historic Motor Trails

Prior to the establishment of the US Highway system in 1927 and state highway numbers, the country was criss-crossed by named motor trails. These trails were usually established and signed by road booster groups and other commerce groups, not the government. They were usually marked by multi-colored rectangular signs on utility poles at intervals. One such cross-country trail was the Victory Highway, which closely followed today's US 40. Consequences of this early naming can still be seen many places today, such as the street name for US 40 through Craig being Victory Way, and a road named Old Victory Highway northeast of Bennett. Other trails resulted in similar road names throughout the US.

Here is a listing of these marked motor trails in Colorado, as they existed in 1923. For other motor trails throughout the US, hit Dave Schul's site, where he has attempted to catalog all of the named motor trails that existed in the US throughout the early 20th Century.

Source: Auto Trails Map State of Colorado, Rand McNally, dist. by Continental Oil Co., 1923; held at the Western Geneology Center, Denver Public Library

Trail

Marker

Routing in Colorado

Nationally

Notes

Albert Pike Highway

KS - Lamar - La Junta - Rocky Ford - Avondale - Pueblo - Colorado Springs - Palmer Lake - Sedalia - Littleton - Denver

Southeast to Hot Springs, AR


Black Hills Loop Highway

Iliff - Peetz - NE

North to Lead, SD

Map calls this the "Black Hills Loup Highway". Oops!

Buffalo Highway

NM - Trinidad - Walsenburg - Pueblo - Colorado Springs - Palmer Lake - Sedalia - Littleton - Denver - Broomfield - Longmont - Fort Collins - Wellington - WY

South to Amarillo
North to Glacier National Park

Thanks to Kevin Griffith for the nifty buffalo marker!

Burlington Highway

Greeley - Orchard - Weldona - Fort Morgan - Brush - Akron - Wray - NE

East to Culbertson, NE


Colorado to Gulf Highway

NM - Trinidad - Walsenburg - Pueblo - Colorado Springs - Palmer Lake - Sedalia - Denver

Southeast to Galveston
Branch to Brownsville


Dallas - Canadian - Denver Highway

OK - Stonington - Springfield - Lamar - La Junta - Pueblo - Colorado Springs - Monument - Larkspur - Castle Rock
ALT via Blaine, Two Buttes

Southeast to Galveston

"Canadian" refers to Canadian, TX, not Canada

Denver - Black Hills Highway

Denver - Brighton - Greeley - Purcell - Briggsdale - Hereford - WY

North to Hot Springs, SD


Denver - Deadwood

?? - WY

Unknown

Marked on the legend, but in the map body it appears to start at Cheyenne

Detroit - Lincoln - Denver Highway

Denver - Hudson - Prospect Valley - Wiggins - Fort Morgan - Brush - Merino - Atwood - Sterling - Haxtun - Holyoke - NE

East to Detroit


Golden Belt Route

Limon - Burlington - KS

East to Saint Louis


Gulf Plains and Canada

No marker

Granada - Cheyenne Wells - Burlington - Wray - Holyoke - Julesburg - NE

Wayside, NE

Name doesn't make any sense given its route. And what's the reason if there's no marker?

Kansas - Colorado Boulevard

Pueblo - Baxter - Ordway - Eads - Sheridan Lake - KS

East to Kansas City, KS


Midland Trail

UT - Grand Junction - De Beque - Glenwood Springs - Wolcott - State Bridge - Kremmling - Fraser - Georgetown - Golden - Denver - Bennett - Limon - Burlington - KS

East to Norfolk, VA
West to Los Angeles
Branch to San Francisco


National Old Trails Road

NM - Trinidad - La Junta - Lamar - KS
ALT via Walsenburg - Pueblo - Rocky Ford

East to Baltimore
West to Los Angeles


National Park to Park Highway

NM - Durango - Pagosa Springs - Del Norte - Center - Saguache - Salida - Cañon City - Pueblo - Colorado Springs - Monument - Larkspur - Castle Rock - Denver - Lafayette - Boulder - Lyons - Allenspark - Estes Park - Drake - Masonville - Fort Collins - Wellington - WY

Loop throughout the West following a circuitous route


National White Way

Colorado Springs - Limon - Burlington - KS

East to Chicago


New Santa Fe Trail

NM - Trinidad - La Junta - Lamar - KS

Unknown


Old Santa Fe Trail

NM - Trinidad - Walsenburg - Pueblo - Avondale - La Junta - Lamar - KS

Unknown


Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway
(Pershing Transport Route)

UT - Grand Junction - De Beque - Glenwood Springs - Aspen - Buena Vista - Woodland Park - Colorado Springs - Limon - Burlington - KS
ALT via Wolcott, Leadville

East to New York
West to Los Angeles


Plains Mountains Highway

Stonewall - Trinidad - Beshoar Junction - Trinchera - Branson - Kim - Springfield - Two Buttes - KS

Unknown


Powder River Trail

Colorado Springs - Palmer Lake - Sedalia - Denver - Broomfield - Longmont - Fort Collins - Wellington - WY

Unknown


Rainbow Route

Grand Junction - Delta - Montrose - Gunnison - Salida - Cañon City - Pueblo



Rocky Mountain Highway

Denver - Longmont - Fort Collins - Laporte - Virginia Dale - WY - (Current SH 127) - (Current SH 125) - WY

Northwest to Yellowstone National Park


Spanish Trail

Cortez - Durango - Pagosa Springs - Del Norte - Alamosa - Walsenburg



Union Pacific Highway

Denver - Bennett - Limon - Kit Carson - Cheyenne Wells - KS

East to Kansas City, KS


Victory Highway

UT - Craig - Steamboat Springs - Kremling - Fraser - Georgetown - Golden - Denver - Bennett - Limon - Burlington - KS

East to New York
West to San Francisco


Trail

Marker

Routing in Colorado

Nationally

Notes

Routes on the map indicated as part of a motor trail, but it is unclear of what trail:

Related Sites

Continue:

Last updated 6 March 2004