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Politics & Government

Local Roads Traveled Long Way Since Earning Names

New Baltimore-Chesterfield history columnist Alan Dean Naldrett delves into the origins of the region's road names.

Metro Detroit roads may have familiar names, but their origins are wide-ranging and rich with history.

For instance, Gratiot Road was originally built as a military road to connect Fort Wayne and Fort Gratiot, which was near Port Huron. It was named for Charles Gratiot, who selected the Fort Gratiot site and designed the fort at the mouth of Lake Huron to guard against Native American attacks.

In 1829, Gratiot Turnpike was established as a federal highway and partly constructed over an old Native American trail that went roughly from Detroit to Mount Clemens. Some roads were extended from Detroit and already had names.

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Although Gratiot is the main road of Macomb County, it was not the first inland road. That honor goes to Moravian Drive in Clinton Township, which is considered the first internal road not only in Macomb County, but also in the state of Michigan. It went from Fort Detroit to the village of the Moravian missionaries sent in 1782 to convert the Native Americans to Christianity.

Groesbeck Highway was named for Alexander Groesbeck, the only governor of Michigan from Macomb County.

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Besides naming roads for notable pioneers, politicians, war heroes or other local prominent people, roads were often named for their surroundings, such as Lake Shore Drive or Huron Road. Sometimes a feature on the road would decide the name, such as the Native American mounds that gave Mound Road its name.

Roads were often located along farm boundary lines and named for the farmer who resided there. For instance, Ford Road in Detroit was not named for Henry Ford, but for his father William Ford, who owned the original farm located in the area.

The mile road system in Michigan was established by the Land Ordinance Act of 1785. It established the basis for the surveying of land in Michigan. By its statutes, the land of the Northwest Territory, of which Michigan was a part, was surveyed in relation to an east-west baseline, and a north-south meridian. The precise point of origin is in Campus Martius in Detroit and marked by a medallion embedded in the stone walkway. The medallion’s precise location was unknown for years until uncovered by workers in 2004.

The baseline runs mainly along 8 Mile Road and 8 Mile was mainly known as Baseline Road for much of its existence. The baseline forms the border for many counties in Michigan and most of the mile roads run parallel to it.

Many of the mile roads throughout the metro Detroit area have had names at one time or another and most of the roads have had more than one name. Some of the names for mile roads are only used in Oakland County (see 17-19 Mile Roads) or in St. Clair County (see 27-33 Mile Roads) or for just a short stretch in a particular jurisdiction.

Many of the names are no longer in use.

0 Mile Road - Ford Rd.; Michigan (in Detroit)

1 Mile Road - Warren Ave.

2 Mile Road - Joy Road

3 Mile Road - Plymouth Rd.

4 Mile Road - Schoolcraft Rd.

5 Mile Road - Fenkell Ave.

6 Mile Road - McNichols Ave.

7 Mile Road - Moross Ave.

8 Mile Road - Baseline; Vernier; M-102

9 Mile Road - School Rd.

10 Mile Road - Kern Road; Lake St.

11 Mile Road - Townhall Rd.

12 Mile Roads - Champagne Rd.; Oakwood Blvd.

13 Mile Road - Chicago Rd.

14 Mile Road - Townline Rd.

15 Mile Road - Maple St.; Wolf Rd.

16 Mile Rd - Metro Pkwy.; Big Beaver; Walnut Lake Rd. (W. Bloomfield Twp.); Quarton

17 Mile Road - Wattles (Oakland Co.); Lone Pine

18 Mile Road - Long Lake Rd. (Oakland Co.)

19 Mile Road - Square Lake Rd. (Oakland Co.)

20 Mile Rd. - Hall Rd., Rosso Hwy., Highland Rd. ; South Blvd.; Mt. Clemens St.

21 Mile Road - Shoemaker Rd.; Auburn Rd.

22 Mile Road - Patton Rd.; Waldenburg Rd.; Hamlin Rd.

23 Mile Rd. - Telegraph; New Balt. Hwy.; Coldwater Rd., Whiskey Rd.; Avon Rd.; M-29

24 Mile Rd. - Cemetery Rd., French Rd.; Williams Lake Rd.; Parkdale Rd.; Univ.Dr.

25 Mile Rd. - Arnold Rd.; Runyon Rd.; Tienken Rd.

26 Mile Rd. - Marine City Hwy.; Meade Rd.; Dutton Rd.; Brown Rd.

27 Mile Rd. - Springborn; Davis Rd.; Stone Rd.; Silver Bell Rd.; Clark Rd. (New Haven)

28 Mile Rd. - Gass Rd.; Meisner Rd. (St. Clair Co.); Waldon Rd., Gunn Rd.

29 Mile Rd. - Ray Center Rd.; Knight Rd.; Lindsey Rd. (St. Clair Co.); Buell Rd.

30 Mile Rd. - Sikes Rd.; Puttygut (St. Clair Co.); Stoney Creek Rd.; Clarkston Rd.

31 Mile Rd. - Hart Rd. (Macomb Co.); Priedmore (also Predmore); St. Clair Hwy.

32 Mile Rd. - St. Clair Rd.; Romeo Rd.; Division (Richmond) Fred Moore Hwy.

33 Mile Rd. - Schooley; Clay Rd.; M-19 (St. Clair Co.); Brewer Rd.; Drahner Rd.

34 Mile Rd. - Mack Rd.; Woodbeck Rd.; Big Hand (St. Clair Co.); Lakeville Rd.

35 Mile Rd. - School Rd.; Logg Rd.; Meskill Rd.; Armada Center; School Section Rd.(St. Clair Co.); Frick Rd. ; Crawford (St. Clair Co.)

36 Mile Rd. - Dewey Rd.; Irwin Rd.; Noble Rd.; Meskill

37 Mile Rd. - McPhall Rd. Prinz Rd.; Oakwood Rd.

38 Mile Rd. - Bordman Rd.; Davison Lake Road

39 Mile Rd. - Rock Valley Rd.; Hough (Lapeer Co.)

40 Mile Rd. - Brocker Rd. ; General Squier Rd.; Almont Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

41 Mile Rd. - Tubspring Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

42 Mile Rd. - Dryden Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

43 Mile Rd. - Hollow Corners Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

44 Mile Rd. - Webster Rd.; Ross Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

45 Mile Rd. - Hunters Creek Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

46 Mile Rd. - Newark Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

47 Mile Rd. - Belle River Rd. (Lapeer Co.)

48 Mile Rd. - Attica Rd.

49 Mile Rd. - Imlay City Road (W of Van Dyke); Weyers Road (E. of Van Dyke)

50 Mile Rd. - Bowers Rd.

Check out Alan Naldrett’s Arcadia Images of America . If you buy your copy at the Chesterfield Township Library, Preston Automotive, or Tom’s Party Store, your donation will benefit the Chesterfield Twp. Historical Society.  The book is also available in the usual venues including Barnes and Noble bookstores and at Amazon.com.

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