Lansing in Ingham County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
State Highway Department / Horatio Earle
State Highway Department
Created in 1905, the State Highway Department, the precursor to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), revolutionized U.S. highway travel. Working with the Wayne County Road Commission, the agency paved the nation’s first mile of concrete rural highway on Woodward Avenue in Detroit in 1909. It responded to growing automobile tourism by opening the first state-operated information center near New Buffalo in 1935. During World War II the state’s first four-lane divided expressway carried workers from the Detroit area to Ford’s Willow Run bomber plan in Ypsilanti. In 1973 MDOT expanded to include all transportation programs: ports, buses, aeronautics, marine, railroads, and non-motorized transportation.
Horatio Earle
In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quagmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike. Bicycle clubs, such as the League of American Wheelmen, led the effort to “reform” roads nationwide. In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio “Good Roads” Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer “The Mighty Monarch Mud.” A former state senator, Earle served as state highway commissioner until 1909. Known as “the Father of Good Roads,” Earle helped open the state to commerce and tourism. Monuments were erected in Cass City and Mackinaw City in his honor. Although appreciative, Earle stated, “The monument I prize most is not measured by its height, but its length in miles.”
Erected 2005 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center, Erected by Employees and Friends of MDOT in its Centennial Year. (Marker Number S688.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1905.
Location. 42° 44.042′ N, 84° 33.487′ W. Marker is in Lansing, Michigan, in Ingham County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of West Ottawa Street and North Walnut Street. The marker is in the plaza on the south side of the MDOT building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 425 West Ottawa Street, Lansing MI 48933, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Presbyterian Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Optometric Association (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battery A 1st Michigan Light Artillery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Morgan B. Hungerford House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Austin Blair (approx. 0.2 miles away); Michigan (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Regiment Michigan Engineers (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lansing.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 78 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 26, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.