NORTH End of MN 139: Stop sign/T intersection, Harmony MN, Fillmore County MN

Facing north on 139 (5/18/04)

This intersection is in downtown Harmony. Prior to 1995, MN 44 joined 139 for its northernmost mile and went west to US 63 south of Harmony or east with 52.

Facing southeast, but heading south, on 52 (5/18/04)

Facing west, but heading north, on 52 (5/18/04)

Facing west, but heading north, on 52 (5/18/04)

Facing south on 139 (5/18/04)

Compare the "IA" styles in the two signs.

NORTH End: Minnesota state line, Winneshiek County IA/Fillmore County MN

Facing south on 139 (5/18/04)

Facing south on 139 (7/25/16)

Facing north on 139 (5/18/04)

Facing north on 139 (7/25/16)

Church on Minnesota side of line (5/18/04)

Update (7/25/16):

At first the northernmost part of IA 20, which mainly was replaced by US 55 and US 61, 139 was numbered when 130 (the route's second number) was used to cover a new route west of Missouri Valley. Minnesota changed its number to match. (5/18/04)

SOUTH End: Intersection, IA 9 and A34, Howard/Winneshiek county line

Facing south on 139 (5/18/04 and 9/29/15)

Facing south on 139 (5/18/04)

The "End 139" sign had not been changed to a wide one; the most likely explanation is that it is on the Howard County side and thus not part of the replacement project.

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (5/18/04)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (9/29/15)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (9/29/15)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (5/18/04)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (9/29/15)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 (5/18/04)

Facing north, but heading west, on 9 / Facing north on 139 (9/29/15)

Winneshiek rural sign / First sign on 139 (5/18/04)

There is a pair of rural signs at the intersection. Northbound 139 and westbound 9 are in Winneshiek County while southbound 139 and eastbound 9 are in Howard County. However, while there's no sign on westbound 9 (the right turn from the end of 139) for Howard County, or on southbound 139 a couple miles north of here as it hits the line, there are signs on both northbound 139 and east/southbound 9 for Winneshiek County.

Facing east on 9 (5/18/04)

Facing east on 9 (7/25/16)

Facing east on 9 (5/18/04)

Notice the difference in the arrows.

Old SOUTH End: Stop sign, B16, Protivin, Howard/Chickasaw county line

Facing south on 139 (9/12/17)

The van is stopped at the former end of 139, on the south side of Protivin. The picture is in Howard County, but it's Chickasaw on the sign.

Facing east on B16 (9/12/17)

Facing west on B16 (9/12/17)

Facing north on 139 (7/25/16)

This is on the north side of Protivin, and notable for its inclusion of ahead arrows and putting the postal state abbreviation in parentheses. The actual end was about a mile south of this in downtown. The state originally proposed serving Protivin via an extension of IA 325 from Spillville, but Protivin preferred a connection to the county seat. This made IA 139 a hybrid spur/regular route for decades until it was truncated in the Great Decommissioning of 1980.

Protivin, named after the Czech city of the same name, is in a pocket of Bohemian settlement in Iowa (also encompassing Spillville) similar to Tama County. It has Czech Days in mid-August and a very Bohemian family-owned meat processing business. But what about their kolaches? This is a very important issue that will merit investigation by an expert in consumption of kolaches.

Page created 6/13/04; last updated 1/7/18

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