We have all seen the county number designations around Leelanau County, 616, 633, 667, etc. But just as numbers and location of state and federal highways have changed over the decades, Leelanau County's numbered roads were no different. To learn about this, we need to take a nostalgic trip to Leelanau County in the 1930's.

Some county road numbers are now no longer used, one of them being County Road 612. Starting at Empire, it followed an approximate course of what is now M-72, coming to a stop at a dirt road on the Elmwood/Solon Township line. As far can be determined, the dirt road is no longer there.

County Road 624 is another one relagated to nostalga, which connected County Roads 637 and 639 on what is now known only as Perther Road.

Does anybody remember County Road 639? It began at County Road 641 just north of Lake Leelanau along Eagle Highway, then turned west onto Alpers Road back to 641.

Does anyone know Solon Rd. from M-72 to 616 was County Road 649?

There is also County Road 665, which began at Oviatt on the Leelanau/Benzie County line, cosigned with 612, and followed what is now 669, Baatz Rd, Newman Rd., Valley Rd., and 667 through Maple City to M-22 near Little Traverse Lake.

The most recent county number to be removed from the county's road system
(c.mid-1980's) is County Road 671, which ran from 616 to M-22 near Bass Lake. Today, it is part of 669.

Some of the county numbers still in Leelanau County today did not always follow the courses they do now, and some of the differences may be quite interesting. County Road 633 from Cherry Bend Rd. to Suttons Bay followed what is now M-22, both designations exchanging places when the former 633 was upgraded to highway standards.

County Road 614 was originally on the west side of the county when it ran from 616 at Burdickville, around the southern shore of Glen Lake, to M-109 at Tobin Corners. Meanwhile, County Road 616 originally followed the eastern Glen Lake shore from Burdickville to M-22 near Glen Arbor on what is now County Road 675.

County Road 641 originally began on the edge of Cedar at 645, and followed to the village of Lake Leelanau on what is today's 643. Along some parts of Lake Leelanau's eastern shoreline, today's 641 was not even yet built at that time.

Other changes to Leelanau County's numbered roads also included minor reroutings and surface improvements, but, just like the state highways, the county's numbered have come a long way from their beginnings during the Model T and Model A era.

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