Minnesota State Highway 72
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Mn/DOT | ||||
| Length: | 76.810 mi[1] (123.614 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1923[2] – 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 | ||||
| Counties: | Beltrami, Lake of the Woods | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Minnesota State Highway 72 (MN 72) is a 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.
Highway 72 is 77 miles (124 km) in length.
Route description
State 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
State 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
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beltrami | Blackduck | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 71 | |
| Hines Township | 1.829 | 2.943 | CR 32 | ||
| Hornet Township | 6.895 | 11.096 | CR 41 | ||
| Shooks Township | 9.910 | 15.949 | MN 1, CR 36 north | West end of MN 1 overlap | |
| Shooks | 14.970 | 24.092 | MN 1 | East end of MN 1 overlap | |
| Kelliher | 19.586 | 31.521 | CR 36 west | ||
| 19.696 | 31.698 | CR 36 east | |||
| Shotley Brook | 29.752 | 47.881 | CR 23 | ||
| Lake of the Woods | Swiftwater Township | 59.889 | 96.382 |  CR 1 | |
| Township 158-30 | 62.375 | 100.383 | CR 16 (Hay Creek Road) | ||
| Boone Township | 62.873 | 101.184 | CR 16 (51st Street SE) | ||
| Rapid River Township | 65.878 | 106.020 | CR 7 (39th Street SE) | ||
| Gudrid Township | 71.875 | 115.672 | CR 19 (15th Street SE) | ||
| Baudette | 73.880 | 118.898 | CR 35 | ||
| 74.680 | 120.186 | MN 11 | East end of MN 11 overlap | ||
| 76.377 | 122.917 | MN 11 | West end of MN 11 overlap | ||
| 76.518 | 123.144 | CR 26 (2nd Street NE) | |||
| Rainy River | 76.864 | Highway 11 |
|||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- 1 2 "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 2" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 23, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ↑ Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 51-75". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved 2006-12-16.