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Southern Terminus:	US-2 one mile south of Engadine at cnr Country Ave & Lake Michigan Scenic Hwy
Northern Terminus:	M-28 southwest of Newberry, 3 miles west of the western M-28 & M-123 junction
Length:	14.480 miles
Maps:	Route Map of M-117
Notes:	Although a rather short highway by many definitions, M-117 serves an important need: connecting two of the Upper Peninsula's major east-west highways, US-2 and M-28. Except at their western end, US-2 and M-28 come no closer than they do in the M-117 area. Much of the through traffic heading to or from the Central U.P./Keweenaw Peninsula areas and the Mackinc Bridge uses M-117 as a connector between US-2 and M-28.
	In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, MSHD staff recommended the following two changes to the route of M-117 during that timeframe: Truncating M-117 to the interchange with the planned US-2 freeway south of Engadine approximately ½ mile north of the existing route of US-2. Obviously, since the US-2 freeway across the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula was never construction, this proposal was never enacted; Canceling the portion of M-117 north of downtown Newberry (to Four Mile Corner) and turning that portion of the route back to local control. Not only was this proposal not acted upon, the route of M-117 was extended by almost 40 miles from Four Mile Corner to connect with the stub end of M-123 at Emerson south of Paradise to provide access to Tahquamenon Falls State Park just two years later! Although, this extension would be done as M-123 and not as part of M-117.
History:	1935 (Jan 7) – The first iteration of M-117 exists—at least on paper—in Monroe Co. Internal State Highway Dept maps indicate the portion of Lewis Ave from the bend just north of Ida to M-50 and Ida-Maybee Rd from M-50 to M-130/North Custer Rd is officially given the M-117 designation, although not likely signed in the field. Lewis Ave is signed as part of US-23, while Ida-Maybee as part of M-130. M-117 has likely been assigned to this route to take over for the US-23 and M-130 designations once the planned relocation of US-23 in the area is completed—which will never occur.
	1939 – The (proposed) M-117 designation along the small portions of US-23 and M-130 in central Monroe Co no longer shows up on internal State Highway Dept maps.
	1940 (Oct) – Although the shoreline alignment for US-2 between Gould City and Epoufette by way of Naubinway in western Mackinac Co was officially established as a state trunkline route in January 1935, it takes the State Highway Dept almost six years to complete the project. With new US-2 route complete and open to traffic, the former route along Hiawatha Trail west of Garnet is turned back to local control while the north-south portion along Hiawatha Trail between the new US-2 route at Epoufette and M-48 at Caffey Corner (east of Rexton) is redesignated as M-117, signalling the debut of the second iteration of this route (the first physically-signed iteration).
	1949 (Nov 10) – Several state trunkline route cancellations and establishments occur in western Mackinac Co and southern Luce Co, which will result in a major changes for M-117 and M-48. The portion of existing M-48 from Garnet westerly for ⅔ mile, then northly via Hendricks Quarry to M-28, at McLeods Corner in southeast Luce Co is cancelled as a state trunkline. (The stretch of M-48 along Hiawatha Trl from Caffey Corner west to Garnet is retained as a state trunkline route, pending the future construction of a new highway alignment for M-48 between Garnet and US-2 near Naubinway.) The signed route of M-48 will be redirected southerly from Caffey Corner via Hiawatha Trl to a new terminus at US-2 at Epoufette, replacing the entire M-117 designation along that stretch, although this portion of highway is also cancelled as a trunkline route but remains a "marked-and-maintained" route for now. A new state trunkline route is established about 20 miles west of the former M-117, beginning at US-2 south of Engadine and proceeding northerly via Country Ave for 7½ miles, then northeasterly for 1.6 miles along a yet-to-be-constructed roadway, northerly again via Krause Rd and into Luce Co on Co Rd 405 to M-28. At M-28, the new M-117 routing will officially turn easterly to follow M-28 for 2.2 miles to Newberry Corners where it will turn northerly to follow Co Rd 406 for two miles to existing M-48/M-28A and then will replace those two designations into downtown Newberry. However, until construction to upgrade Co Rd 406 between M-28 and M-48/M-28A is complete, M-117 will be signed concurrently with M-28A (BUS M-28) from Watson's Corner along Dollarville Rd through Dollarville into downtown Newberry. There, M-117 will turn northerly to replace the M-48 designation for four miles to a terminus at Four Mile Corner (present-day jct M-123 & H-37). However, according to the State Highway Dept, "in view of the uncertain weather conditions affecting the preparation of the relocated M-117 trunkline," the state will continue to maintain the exisitng route of M-48 from Caffey Corner westerly along Hiawatha Trail through Rexton and Gilchrist, then northerly past Hendricks Quarry into Luce Co to M-28 at McLeods Corner until May 15, 1950. Thus, while several trunkline changes are made official, no actual route signage in the field will change until the next year.       Additionally, the route of Deer Park Rd (present-day H-37) from Four Mile Corner to Deer Park at Muskallonge Lake near Lake Superior was officially established as an extension of M-48 on January 1, 1935, but was never actually signed as such, pending reconstruction to state trunkline standards. No documents have been found indicating the State Highway Dept intended to designate this extension as M-117, but one could assume this may have been the case.
	1950 (May 15) – The various changes announced the previous November regarding the changes to M-117 in Mackinac and Luce Cos are actually made in the field: M-48 now turns southerly at Caffey Corner to follow Hiawatha Trl, replacing M-117, to a new western terminus at US-2 at Epoufette. Officially, this segment of highway has been cancelled as a trunkline, but will remained "marked-and-maintained" as part of M-48 until the newly-proposed angling route for M-48 from Garnet to Naubinway is constructed and opened to traffic. M-117 is now signed along Country Ave from US-2 about a mile south of Engadine northerly through Engadine to Sandtown Rd, easterly a mile along Sandtown Rd, then northerly again via Krause Rd to the Mackinac/Luce Co line, continuing northerly along Co Rd 405 to M-28 at Watson's Corner southwest of Newberry. (The segment along Sandtown Rd and on Krause Rd from Sandtown Rd to McAlpine Creek is only "marked-and-maintained" with the officially established route on Country Ave from Sandtown Rd northerly ½ mile, then northeasterly for 1.6 miles via a yet-to-be-constructed roadway to Krause Rd at McAlpine Creek, which, for obvious reasons, is not yet signed as M-117.) The M-117 designation continues northerly from M-28 at Watson's Corner to run concurrently with BUS M-28 via Dollarville Rd through Dollarville into Newberry. (This, too, is a "marked-and-maintained" route, having officially been cancelled six months earlier, pending construction of a new route for M-117 running due southerly from Newberry to M-28, which was also established the previous November) M-117 then replaces M-48 from downtown Newberry northerly to Four Mile Corner (present-day jct M-123 & H-37) north of Newberry, where it terminates. With these changes, the signed route of M-117 is now approximately 24.9 miles in length, while the officially established route is ½ mile shorter at approximately 25.4 miles.
	1953 (Summer) – Construction on the new direct route for M-117 south of Newberry from M-28 at Newberry Corners northerly two miles to the former M-48/BUS M-28 (present-day Co Rd 428) is completed and opened to traffic. From its junction with M-28 at Watson's Corner southwest of Newberry, M-117 now turns easterly via M-28 to Newberry Corners, then northerly via the newly-completed highway and then the former route of M-48/BUS M-28 into downtown Newberry before continuing northerly to Four Mile Corner. The former route of M-117/BUS M-28—the "marked-and-maintained" route via present-day Co Rd 405 through Dollarville—is discontinued and local maintenance resumes, since it had been transferred to local control on November 10, 1949. BUS M-28 along Co Rd 403 and Co Rd 428 is similarly discontinued and returns to county maintenance.
	1954 (May 15) – The "Muskallonge Lake" extension of M-117 via present-day H-37/Co Rd 407 from Four Mile Corner four miles north of Newberry to the Lake Superior shore at Deer Lake is officially transferred back to local control, although evidence indicates this route was never signed as a trunkline in the field, likely pending complete reconstruction.
	1954 (July) – A 7.3-mile long project to pave the route of FAS (Federal-Aid Secondary) Route 338 beginning from the northern terminus of M-117 at Four Mile Corner four miles north of Newberry and continuing northeasterly to approximately one mile south of Fordney Tower Rd is completed and opened to traffic. Grading and graveling was completed on this segment in 1953. It is anticipated this segment of highway may someday become an extention to M-117 toward Tahquamenon Falls.
	1957 (Sept–Oct) – M-117 is realigned via a northerly extension of Country Ave in Mackinac Co beginning halfway between Sandtown and Brown Rds and continuing due northerly into Luce Co to a new intersection with M-28 at Deweys Corner, then turns easterly for ¾ mile along M-28 to its previous junction southwest of Newberry at Watson's Corner. From there, M-117 picks up its existing route easterly via M-28 back to Newberry Corners, then northerly into Newberry. The changes include: (Sept 28) – The 7.7-mile long segment of new highway comprising the new alignment for M-117 is completed and opened to traffic. The project took one year to complete and cost $546,549 in total. M-117 markers along former route along Sandtown Rd, Krause Rd and Co Rd 405 are also removed. (Oct 1) – The portion of the former route of M-117 in Mackinac Co which had been established as a state trunkline route—from a point on Country Ave halfway between Sandtown and Brown Rds due northeasterly for 1.6 miles, then north 1½ mile along Krause Rd is cancelled as a state trunkline route. The diagonal 1.6-mile segment had never been constructed, while the 1½ mile segment of Krause Rd is turned back to county control. (The one mile of Sandtown Rd from Country Ave to Krause Rd, and the 1½-mile stretch of Krause Rd from Sandtown Rd northerly to McAlpine Creek was never officially established as the trunkline route, being "marked-and-maintained" as M-117, and as such maintenance is discontinued and placed back into the hands of the county.) (Oct 10) – Ten days later, the 4.520-mile stretch of new M-117 in Luce Co from the Mackinac Co line north of M-28 at Deweys Corner is established as a trunkline route, while the 4.5-mile portion of former M-117 along Co Rd 405 from the Mackinac Co line to M-28 at Watson's Corner is cancelled as a trunkline and tuned back to county control.
	1961 (Feb 8) – The State Highway Dept announces plans to extend both M-117 and M-123 via existing county roads to reach Tahquamenon Falls, which are two of the top tourist attractions in the Upper Peninsula.
	1962 (May 18, July 1) – After strongly lobbying State Highway Commissioner John C. Mackie to provide trunkline access to Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Joseph P. Rahilly of Newberry, member of the State Conservation Commission, finally achieves his goal when the State Highway Dept plans to extend M-123 north from its current terminus to Paradise, then westerly through the state park, then southwesterly to Four Mile Corner north of Newberry at the northern terminus of M-117. There, M-123 will supplant the M-117 designation southerly through Newberry to a new terminus at M-28 at Newberry Corner. The 37.79 miles of new M-123 trunkline in Chippewa and Luce Cos is officially established on May 18 while the signing of the new route and the re-signing of M-117 between Four Mile Corner and M-28 to M-123 occurs by July 1. The concurrent M-28/M-117 between Newberry Corners and Deweys Corner southwest of Newberry becomes solely M-28, with M-117's new northern terminus at M-28 at Deweys Corners.
Controlled Access:	No portion of M-117 exists as freeway or expressway.
NHS:	The entire route of M-117 is on the National Highway System (NHS).
Memorial Highway:	The following Memorial Highway designation has been officially assigned to part of M-117 by the Michigan Legislature: 117th Quartermaster Battalion Memorial Highway– "Highway M-117 between M-28 and US-2 in Mackinac County..." From MDOT: "The 117th Quartermaster Battalion was a former National Guard unit based at one time in Kingsford."
Photographs:
Weblinks:	M-117 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of M-117 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website.

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