Minnesota State Highway 72 (MN 72) is a 76.810-mile-long (123.614 km) highway in northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. 71 in Blackduck and continues north to its northern terminus at the Canada–US border in Baudette. The road continues as Ontario Highway 11 upon entering the town of Rainy River, Ontario at the Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge.
 Trunk Highway 72 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 MN 72 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
| Length | 76.810 mi[2] (123.614 km) | |||
| Existed | 1923[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 71 at Blackduck | |||
 MN 1 at Shooks MN 11 at Baudette | ||||
| North end |  Highway 11 at Rainy River, ON | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Minnesota | |||
| Counties | Beltrami, Lake of the Woods | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
editState Highway 72 serves as a north–south route between the communities of Blackduck, Shooks, Kelliher, and Baudette.
The roadway passes through the Red Lake State Forest in northeast Beltrami County between Kelliher and Waskish. Big Bog State Recreation Area is located on Highway 72, immediately north of Waskish.
Highway 72 crosses the Rainy River at Baudette.
History
editState Highway 72 was authorized as one of the first two Minnesota legislative routes in 1923. This portion of the route was located between Blackduck and Baudette.
The route was paved by 1942.
At one time, Highway 72 had continued farther north, extending over what is now State Highway 172 in Lake of the Woods County. The section of present-day Minnesota 172 between State Highway 11 (at Baudette) and Wheeler's Point (at Lake of the Woods) was originally designated Minnesota 72 as well between 1934 and 1963.
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[2] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beltrami | Blackduck | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 71 – Bemidji | |
| Hines Township | 1.829 | 2.943 |   CSAH 32 west – Nebish | ||
| Hornet Township | 6.895 | 11.096 |   CSAH 41 east | ||
| Shooks Township | 9.910 | 15.949 | MN 1 west – Redby  CSAH 36 north | West end of MN 1 overlap | |
| Shooks | 14.970 | 24.092 | MN 1 east – Northome | East end of MN 1 overlap | |
| Kelliher | 19.586 | 31.521 | CSAH 36 west | ||
| 19.696 | 31.698 | CSAH 36 east | |||
| Shotley Brook | 29.752 | 47.881 |  CSAH 23 west – Shotley | ||
| Lake of the Woods | Swiftwater Township | 59.889 | 96.382 |   CSAH 1 west (Wilderness Drive) | |
| Township 158-30 | 62.375 | 100.383 |   CSAH 16 east (Hay Creek Road) | ||
| Boone Township | 62.873 | 101.184 | CSAH 16 west (51st Street SE) | ||
| Rapid River Township | 65.878 | 106.020 |  CSAH 7 east (39th Street SE) | ||
| Gudrid Township | 71.875 | 115.672 |  CSAH 19 east (15th Street SE) | ||
| Baudette | 73.880 | 118.898 |  CSAH 35 | ||
| 74.680 | 120.186 | MN 11 east – International Falls | East end of MN 11 overlap | ||
| 76.377 | 122.917 | MN 11 west – Warroad, Roseau | West end of MN 11 overlap | ||
| 76.518 | 123.144 |  CSAH 26 west (2nd Street NE) | |||
| Rainy River | 76.864 | 123.701 | Highway 11 east – Rainy River | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 51-75". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
- ^ a b "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing – Construction District 2" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 23, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2010.