Jim Masson

The pre-1960s U.S. Highway 40 (right) is still visible as it heads west to the crossing of the North Fork of the Smoky Hill River.  In the background are the formations known as Twin Buttes or Mexican Buttes. The photo was taken from U.S. 40 milepost 40, 30 miles west of Oakley, Kansas.

“The Bureau of Public Roads of the United States Department of Agriculture has issued an information and historical story of United State Route 40. Starting at Atlantic City, N. J., it extends for 3,205 miles to San Francisco, crossing 14 states, and nearly every mile of it is of interest to the motor tourist.

From Kansas City the paved road continues for 101 miles through Lawrence and Topeka to St. Marys. This is the end of the 1,234-mile paved section which begins at Wilmington, Delaware. Thirty-six miles farther on in Manhattan, where the route divides into 40-north and 40-south, and continues as two branches of the same road as far as Limon, Colorado. It was the discovery of gold in Colorado in 1858, more than any other occurrence, that caused the direct westward expansion of the original road across Kansas, over practically the same location as the present route.”        Sketch and quote from Colorado Highways, June 1928

From 1926, the year the federal government assigned numbers to the nation’s major highways, until 1936, U.S. Highway 40 had two “branches” between Junction City, Kansas, and Limon, Colorado. U.S 40 “South” ran through Oakley, Kansas, and Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, while U.S. Highway 40 “North” ran through Colby Kansas, and Burlington, Colorado. In 1936 U.S. 40 North was re-designated U.S. Highway 24