US–12 Heritage Trail Seeks Designation As A Michigan Historic Heritage Route
By Sally J Carpenter, MSU Extension Educator, St. Joseph County

Beginning in Detroit, US–12 spans approximately 212 miles in southern Lower Michigan.  It passes through eight counties and several cities including Ypsilanti, Clinton, Jonesville, Coldwater, Sturgis, White Pigeon, Edwardsburg and New Buffalo, then on to Indiana, then across the country and terminates in Washington State.

US–12 is among the oldest, most-traveled transportation corridors east of the Mississippi River.  The roadway has many names:  Sauk Trail, Chicago Road, and Michigan Avenue.  The corridor originally consisted of a network of centuries-old trails created by Native Americans.  In the 1820’s, a military road was established, and the route became one of the most important migrations routes for settlers into the Michigan territory. 

In the late 1990’s an effort by a number of citizens emerged to study the feasibility of nominating the Trail for a Michigan Department of Transportation Heritage Route.  Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) in Lenawee and St. Joseph Counties was drawn to this multi-county effort because it paralleled the Fund For Rural America premise of encouraging economic and community development projects across counties.

MSUE realized right away the difficulty of getting interested citizens together across eight counties to accomplish the Heritage Route Nomination mission.   We established a US-12 council under the intergovernmental act (P.A. 217 of 1957).   each county appointed two representatives to the Council.  Fund For Rural America provided dollars to bring the representatives together to discuss the project and gain consensus.  MSU Extension Leadership dollars provided funds to produce a brochure describing the US-12 Council mission and vision and the importance of the US-12 resource.  Council cohesiveness was built around designing that brochure.

Getting communities, retail, government, and business to realize the importance of working together and how that could make an economic impact was demonstrated when Fund for Rural America provided dollars for a retail consultant to meet with representatives of each county in the corridor to design a promotion plan. Fund for Rural America dollars also produced a newsletter to tell everyone along the corridor about the plan and how it could be implemented in their community.

This committee designed a four-part promotion plan to draw attention to US-12 and its resources.  The goal was to develop a promotional plan that would entice travelers to drive US-12 and experience the resources it has to offer.  The principles that the Committee tested all promotions against was:  1. Can retail and the community easily implement the promotion?  2. Can the promotion have a unifying effect on the appearance of US-12?   3. Will each community be able to put their own spin on the promotion so that a trip down the roadway will offer variety along the same theme.  

MSU Extension in St. Joseph County produced the newsletter and media releases for the promotion.  Council members provided a mailing list of all the stakeholders and local media across the corridor.  The newsletter was sent out as both an e-mail and via surface mail.

Tourists came to the promotional events, communities that participated were thrilled with the response, and those who did not participate came on board for the next promotion.

Almost simultaneously, consultants were hired to work with the council to prepare a Corridor Management Plan in support of US-12’s designation as a Historic Heritage Route.  This study included field review of 129 historical and natural features.  A field review team photographed and recorded observations related to the existing conditions of the sites, as well as documenting assess way-finding issues and vehicle/pedestrian conditions.

At the current time, the Management plan has been submitted, and the Council is waiting the good news of historic designation.  The Council and the corridor are beginning the second year of a very successful promotional plan.  We have learned to work together with downtown development authorities; chambers of commerce; schools; retail businesses; churches; museums; libraries; the State of Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries; tourism councils; historic venues; and more, located all along 212 miles of highway. 

Council members have designed and successfully piloted a continuing education bus tour of US-12 with a local community college.  One hundred people took part and evaluated this tour.  The tour shows great promise for marketing to commercial groups.

This year’s US-12 promotional plan 2004 is as follows: 

Garage Sale: Motor Down US-12 Michigan Week – May 14, 15 and 16
The Most Patriotic Road in America – the Month of July
Small Town, Home Town – the Month of August
Agriculture Tour Down US-12 – the Month of September
Harvestfest – the Month of October

For more information visit: http://www.msue.msu.edu/stjoseph/Home%20Ec/US12/US12.htm.