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Welcome to the Official Website
of the
Houghton County Road Commission
The Houghton County Road Commission is
dedicated to providing a county road
system that is safe and convenient for
public travel while practicing sound
financial management, respect for the
environment, and sensitivity to
community concerns.
The Houghton
County Road Commission was born on April
4, 1910 as the county electorate voted
7,100 for and 989 against a Good Roads
System, established in order to develop
an organized improvement and expansion
of roads in Houghton County. Up until
this year, only haphazard improvement of
wagon roads into the country, and
between population centers and the
copper mining areas existed.
The
advent of the Model T Ford, of which
under 1,000 vehicles existed in Houghton
County in 1910, created the impetus to
develop a meaningful road system.
Offices for the Road Commission were
opened in rented quarters in downtown
Hancock with a personnel of six
employees. Equipment consisted of three
Pierce Arrow plows, a Model T Ford, one
motorcycle, and five other truck
vehicles. Late in 1911, the offices were
moved to the Shelden Dee building in
Houghton.
The Board of Road
Commissioners began their road building
responsibilities with a budget of
$29,051.00, provided by the County Board
of Supervisors. The first priorities for
road improvements were to reconstruct
and straighten the route between the two
major population centers of Hancock and
Calumet.
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