U.S. Route 16

An old highway connects places. The towns along it tell the story.

In US Route 16: From the Bighorns to the Great Lakes, Mark Bureau follows the present-day and historical highway through thirty communities, beginning in Cody, Wyoming, and ending in Farmington, Michigan. The journey crosses mountain country, the Black Hills, South Dakota's prairie, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan before continuing along Michigan's Grand River Avenue.

Each stop brings a different history into view. Explore Buffalo Bill's ambitions in Cody, the buildings moved across a frozen river in Worland, Wall Drug's invitation to thirsty travelers, Mitchell's Corn Palace, Luverne's pink quartzite, and Spring Valley's connection to the Wilder family. Farther east, river commerce, lake crossings, lumber fortunes, and railroad connections help explain how communities took shape.

Hotels, depots, theaters, museums, local businesses, and public buildings provide places to pause and look more closely. Railroads remain central to the story, connecting farms and industries with distant markets and giving many towns their first opportunities to grow.

With illustrated section dividers, town-opening pictures, an overview map, and chapter-organized sources, this book invites readers to discover the community beyond the highway sign.

For readers who enjoy American local history, historic highways, small towns, and journeys through the places that built the country.