Minnesota State Highway 210 (MN 210) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in west-central, central, and northeast

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, which runs from North Dakota Highway 210 (ND 210) at the

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

state line (at Breckenridge), and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with MN 23 in

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

near the Saint Louis River. The route runs across Minnesota from west-central to northeast; connecting

Fergus Falls Fergus Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 14,258 in 2024. History The falls from which the city gets part of its n ...

, Brainerd, and

. At the western terminus of MN 210, upon crossing the Red River, the roadway becomes ND 210 and feeds into ND 13. MN 210 is in length.

Route description

MN 210 serves as an east–west route in west-central, central, and northeast Minnesota between Breckenridge,

, Staples, Baxter, Brainerd, Carlton, and

. For part of its route (), MN 210 is

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 ...

with US Highway 10 (US 10) between

Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in ''commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley'' is ...

and Staples in

central Minnesota Central Minnesota is the central part of the state of Minnesota. No definitive boundaries of the region exist, but most definitions would include the land north of Interstate 94, east of U.S. Highway 59, south of U.S. Highway 2, and west of U.S ...

. The highway crosses the Washington Street Bridge at the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in Brainerd and the Saint Louis River in

Thomson Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson M ...

. The portion of MN 210 in Aitkin County is officially designated the " Dale Wayrynen Memorial Highway". This same designation is also signed on MN 210 in Carlton County from

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...

westbound to the county line with Aitkin County. MN 210 passes through the

Cuyuna Range The Cuyuna Range is an inactive iron range to the southwest of the Mesabi Range, largely within Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It lies along a line between Brainerd, Minnesota, and Aitkin, Minnesota. The width ranges from 1 to 10 miles (1.6 to 1 ...

Crow Wing County Crow Wing County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,123. Its county seat is Brainerd. The county was formed in 1857, and was organized in 1870. Crow Wing County i ...

and the Fond du Lac State Forest in Carlton County.

Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (CCSRA) is a state park unit of Minnesota, USA, being developed to rehabilitate a portion of the Cuyuna Range where mining pits and piles of waste rock were left behind after decades of open-pit mining for i ...

is located on the highway in Crow Wing County near

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside **Crosby (UK P ...

and Ironton; northeast of Brainerd.

Jay Cooke State Park Jay Cooke State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, protecting the lower reaches of the Saint Louis River. The park is located about southwest of Duluth and is one of the ten most visited state parks in Minnesota. The weste ...

is located on MN 210 in Carlton County. The park is located between Carlton and Fond du Lac (Duluth).

Transit

Intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

is provided along the eastern half of MN 210 from Staples to Duluth by

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

History

MN 210 was authorized on July 1, 1949 between then- US 61 (now MN 45) in Carlton and MN 23 in Duluth, acting as an eastern extension of US 210. Circa 1955, the highway was expanded on the west end of US 210, replacing former MN 3 from Staples to the North Dakota state line at Breckenridge. The original eastern segment was subsequently renumbered as part of MN 39 in 1956. When US 210 was removed in 1970, the highway was redesignated MN 210. The historic original route of MN 210 between Carlton and Duluth was changed back at this time as well. MN 210 runs along the original mainline of the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

as built westward from Carlton to Staples. Between Henning and Breckenridge, the highway runs along a former branch line of the Northern Pacific Railway. Most of the branch line has since been abandoned. The western section of the highway, between Breckenridge and

, was originally part of Minnesota

Constitutional Route In the U.S. state of Minnesota, a legislative route is a highway number defined by the Minnesota State Legislature. The routes from 1 to 70 are constitutional routes, defined as part of the Babcock Amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution, p ...

3. Between Fergus Falls and Henning, the highway was part of Constitutional Route 36. The section between Carlton and Motley was part of Constitutional Route 2.

US 210

MN 210 from Carlton to Motley, the eastern portion of the present day highway, was originally part of U.S. Route 210 from 1926 to 1970. During 1970, US 210 was decommissioned from Carlton to Motley and re-designated MN 210 that same year. US 210 was originally commissioned in 1926 by the

American Association of State Highway Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...

, as one of the original US Highways. In the 1934 numbering plan, US 210 from Carlton to Motley was slated to be re-designated as U.S. Route 208. The road was almost re-numbered because of a routing change in its parent road ( US 10). Ultimately, US 10 was routed along former US 10N. US 208 was shown on some maps in the mid-1930s running from Carlton to Motley, but the number was not officially commissioned or signed, and US 210 kept its number.

Major intersections

References

External links

Endpoints of historic U.S. Highway 210
{{US 10

210 Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 210 for this y ...

U Transportation in Wilkin County, Minnesota Transportation in Otter Tail County, Minnesota Transportation in Todd County, Minnesota Transportation in Morrison County, Minnesota Transportation in Cass County, Minnesota Transportation in Crow Wing County, Minnesota Transportation in Aitkin County, Minnesota Transportation in Carlton County, Minnesota Transportation in St. Louis County, Minnesota