History of the Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway once transported people from Canada to Florida through the Midwestern states. Today, most of the remnants of the highway have been absorbed by the new numbering system that takes into account all highways in the US, although an incomplete puzzle remains in some parts of the highway.
Carl Fischer, who always dreamed of a highway that could run from Indianapolis to Miami, coined the name “Dixie.” Dixie was to honor and reflect the 50 years of peace that existed between the southern and northern states of the USA. Indianapolis was actually his hometown and ideas for building the highway were being discussed in 1910, including the development of road maps, participating members and route maps. The original plan had finally been conceived and was to connect Chicago, IL with Jacksonville, FL. By 1916, there were already plans to extend the highway to Canada.
In 1925, the highway was built and stretched from Ontario, Canada, to Florida City, FL, over 5,700 miles. However, during this time, the US highway system also began to use its new numbering system as a way to integrate all highways into a single naming style. For example, the famous “Lincoln” highway, which ran from coast to coast, became US 30, while the National Pike, which connected the Ohio and Potomac rivers, became US 40. This led to the dissolution of the Dixie Highway, as many parts of it were dissolved in the new numbering system.
Here are some examples of the new alignment methods that followed the dissolution of Dixie Highway:
The highway from Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL became US Route 1.
The road from Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, GA became US Route 17.
The highway from Miami, FL to Punta Gorda, FL became US Route 41.
The highway from Punta Gorda, FL to Orlando, FL became US Route 17.
The highway from Orlando, FL to High Springs, FL became US Route 441.
Dixie highway today
Some of the old portions of Dixie Highway can still be identified today using concrete markers, which have been placed due to strong preservation efforts by local Departments of Transportation. At one time, a special symbol was used to identify the highway made of a red striped marker bearing the letters “DH”. This was generally used on the telegraph and telephone poles found along the route.
The current version is essentially the very busy Interstate 75, a modern “Dixie Highway” that carries millions of cars and trucks each year.
