(July 1, 1920-December 31, 1968)
- In 1920, they knew it as: In Louisa County, a portion of the St. Paul, Burlington, and St. Louis Route (Huebinger) OR Burlington Way (registered December 1, 1917) (2 counties)
- The Registered Highway Routes map shows this as the Burlington Way (registered December 1, 1917) and west branch of the Mississippi Valley Highway (registered September 17, 1920); the latter, at least, forked all the way up at Cresco with one branch running much closer to the river (see IA 20) and the other in about as straight a south-southeast direction as one could go between Cresco and Burlington via Cedar Rapids
- We know it as: IA 70, and County Roads X37 and G32
- Let's get granular:
- Wapello to Columbus City: Main Street and State Street, then G62 and X37
- Columbus City: Probably north on X37, but possibly Columbus, Market, and Water streets since IA 70 later ended on Columbus at Market.
- Columbus Junction: Colton, Gamble, and 2nd streets, and a bridge across the Iowa River just west of the present one
- Columbus Junction to Nichols: IA 70 (with a vacated strip on other side of railroad in section 6), G28, Blue Heron Avenue, IA 70
- Nichols: A vacated road closer to the railroad just south of Nichols intersecting IA 70 just south of where Davis Avenue does today, and a vacated section of Davis Avenue running into McKinley Street; McKinley Street, Grand Avenue and Short Street
- Nichols to West Liberty: IA 22, Elder Avenue, 160th Street, IA 70
- Related route: IA 70, of course, and IA 947 (IV), old 70 between Columbus Junction and Columbus City, left behind when IA 70 was rerouted to an intersection with IA 92
NORTH End: IA 7, now IA 70/Columbus St. at US 6, West Liberty, Muscatine County
Facing north on 76 (5/12/08)
Although the River-to-River Road leaving West Liberty used Maxson Avenue, that changed by 1920.
Facing south, but heading east, on 7 (5/12/08)
Ahead was the beginning of 76, which retained its number until the Great Renumbering made it IA 70.
SOUTH End: IA 20, now Main St. at Franklin St., Wapello, Louisa County
Facing southwest from Main, just south of Franklin (5/12/08)
Here's another historic end at a county courthouse, although this particular building wouldn't have been there, having been built in 1926-27. IA 20, future US 61, went east across the Iowa River and north to Grandview. IA 76 either came down on Main or over on Franklin (which later became IA 99).
WAPELLO, 51 m. (588 alt.,
1,502 pop.), seat of Louisa County, is a sleepy river town sprawled
along the low south bank of the Iowa River. It is one of the four
specially chartered towns in Iowa, the State legislature having issued
its charter in 1856. It was named for Chief Wapello, and the county was
named in 1837 for Louisa Massey, a pioneer heroine who shot and wounded
her brother's murderer.
— Iowa: A Guide to the Hawkeye
State (1938), p. 330
Page created 4/12/20