HIghway Road Markings

The first known painting of a highway centerline in the USA was made by Marquette County (Michigan) Road Commission engineer-superintendent K.I. Sawyer in 1917 on Dead Man's Curve on US-41 (now County Road 492) between Marquette and Negaunee, Michigan.  The state maintains an historical marker to this day at the site, and I have visited and photographed the site many times, as my parents grew up in Negaunee between 1913 and 1939, before moving to Washington. D.C.

The USAF built an airfield south of Marquette in 1945, which they named K.I. Sawyer AFB., in honor of Mr. Sawyer who had died the previous year.  I remember seeing B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers depart that base en masse westbound following the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The air force base was decomissioned in 1995 and Marquette's commercial airport later moved to that site -- now known as Sawyer International Airport.

Regards,

Hakk

Road markings

I have to admit I've never given this any thought - so I learned something!

Clarence