Minnesota State Highway 74 (MN 74) is a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

in southeast

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

that runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 61 at Weaver along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. It is the only remaining road in the state highway system that is still partially

unpaved A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cobble ...

Route description

State Highway 74 serves as a north–south route in southeast Minnesota between Chatfield, St. Charles,

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

, and Weaver. It is legally defined as Legislative Route 74 in the Minnesota Statutes. Highway 74 begins at its intersection with U.S. 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north through the unincorporated communities of

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

and Saratoga. Highway 74 has a

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

with Interstate 90 just south of St. Charles. In St. Charles, Highway 74 becomes ''Main Street'', also known as ''Whitewater Avenue'', until it joins U.S. Highway 14 briefly. Highway 74 runs

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

west with Highway 14 for less than a mile. The route continues north again, passing through Whitewater State Park and the town of

. The highway ends at its

with U.S. Highway 61 in Weaver, Minnesota. About of the northern end of the route through the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area from Beaver to Weaver, in what is known as the ''Weaver Bottoms'', are unpaved gravel.

History

Highway 74 was authorized in 1933. The south end of Highway 74 previously extended south of Chatfield to old U.S. Highway 16 at Spring Valley until 1974. As a result of this, the present day mile markers begin at mile 20. Highway 74 follows, in part, an old route that was one of the first public roads in the

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota and west ...

. In 1953, the route was still gravel south of U.S. Highway 14. Highway 74 was paved by 1960, except for the northernmost . Then in summer of 2021, additional had its paving removed, extending the total unpaved portion of the route to .

Flood

The

2007 Midwest flooding The 2007 Midwest flooding was a major flooding event that occurred in the Midwestern United States in the third week of August 2007. While Hurricane Dean was affecting the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, and Tropical Storm Erin was af ...

caused much damage to Highway 74. On August 18 and 19, 2007, the flooded Whitewater River destroyed bridges and washed out the roadway in several places. By 2008, repairs were complete.

Images

Image:ChatfieldMNdowntown2006-05-01.JPG, The southern terminus of MN 74 in Chatfield Image:MNhwy74s2006-04-09.JPG, At the northern end of the unpaved portion of MN 74, near Weaver Image:wwparka.jpg, MN 74 during the 2007 flood

Major intersections

References

{{reflist 074 Transportation in Fillmore County, Minnesota Transportation in Olmsted County, Minnesota Transportation in Winona County, Minnesota Transportation in Wabasha County, Minnesota