Minnesota State Highway 74
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| Trunk Highway 74 |
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| Length: | 30 mi (48 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1933 | ||||||||
| South end: | Chatfield | ||||||||
| North end: | Weaver | ||||||||
| Major cities: | St. Charles, Elba | ||||||||
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Minnesota State Highway 74 is a highway in southeastern Minnesota running 30 miles (48 km) from Chatfield to the Mississippi River. It is notable as the only remaining road in the state highway system which is still partially unpaved.
The road begins at U.S. Highway 52 and State Highway 30 and runs north through the unincorporated small communities of Troy and Saratoga. Just south of St. Charles it intersects Interstate 90. In St. Charles it becomes Main Street, also called Whitewater Avenue, until it joins U.S. Highway 14. It runs west with Highway 14 for less than a mile, then goes north again, passing through Whitewater State Park and the small town of Elba. About 7 miles of the road near the northern end, in what is known as the Weaver bottoms, are unpaved gravel. It ends at U.S. Highway 61 in Weaver.
The highway formerly extended south of Chatfield as well, so the mile markers begin at 20. It follows in part an old route which was one of the first public roads in the Minnesota Territory.
[edit] 2007 flood
The 2007 Midwest flooding caused much damage to the highway. On August 18 and 19, the flooded Whitewater River destroyed bridges and washed out the road in several places. By 2008, repairs were complete.
[edit] Images
 The beginning of Minnesota State Highway 74 in Chatfield |
 At the northern end of the unpaved portion, near Weaver |
 Highway 74 during the 2007 flood |
 Aerial view after the flood |
