First Roadside Park

First Roadside Park is a Michigan historical marker in Iron River, Iron County, dedicated 1964.

US-2 four miles east of Iron River., Iron River

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

In 1918 the Iron County Board of Supervisors approved the recommendation of the road commission, through its engineer-manager, Herbert F. Larson, to purchase this 320-acre tract of roadside virgin timber and to dedicate it as a forest preserve. The following year Iron County established Michigan’s first roadside park and picnic tables. This was quite likely America’s first such facility. Since then similar parks have been provided by most states for the comfort and enjoyment of the traveling motorist.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1872 · Chapman's new sectional map of Wisconsin (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1895 · Map of the state of Wisconsin (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1898 · Iron River, Michigan (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)
1911 · Nr. 87. Vereinigte Staaten, Bl. 2. ... von H. Habenicht. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1937 · Forest and park activity map as of December 15, 1937 : [Wisconsin] (Northwestern University Libraries)

Map of the state of Wisconsin, 1895, covering the location of First Roadside Park, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Map of the state of Wisconsin, 1895, covering this location. Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Michigan History Center
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First Roadside Park

Historical maps covering this location

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