| M-137 is a former state trunkline route existing from December 2, 1929 until June 29, 2020. |
| Southern Terminus*: |
Approximately 100 feet south of Vagabond Ln along Karlin Rd, south of Interlochen State Park south of Interlochen |
| Northern Terminus*: |
US-31 at Interlochen Corners just north of Interlochen |
| Final Length*: |
2.885 miles |
| Maps: |
 Route Map of Former M-137 |
| Notes: |
* The termini and final length for M-137 reflect the beginning and ending of the route and its length as of the time of its decommissioning in June 2020. |
| |
 As of June 1, 2020, M-137 was cancelled as a state trunkline highway and transferred to county control. M-137 primarily provided state highway access from US-31 to the community of Interlochen, the Interlochen Center for the Arts (ICA), and Interlochen State Park. Then, over a year later, Green Lake Twp renamed the former state highway to "J Maddy Pkwy" after the founder of the ICA (see September 21, 2021 historical note below). |
| |
Even though the routes are within approximately six miles of each other, M-137 has never connected with M-37. In fact, M-137 was in existence long before M-42 in this area was redesignated as a part of M-37. |
| History: |
1928 (Oct 19) – The State Highway Dept advisory board designates, pending approval by the State Administrative Board, a new, two-mile long state trunkline route beginning at US-31 at Interlochen Corners in western Grand Traverse Co and continuing southerly through Interlochen to Interlochen State Park. No route designation is assigned to the newly proposed route at this time. |
| |
1929 (Dec 2) – The very early history of the M-137 designation is somewhat murky. On this day, two new state trunkline spurs are officially assumed into the system: one from US-2 at White Dale (present-day Gulliver) in southeast Schoolcraft Co easterly 7.8 miles to the Schoolcraft/Mackinac Co line, the other from US-31 at Interlochen Corners in western Grand Traverse Co southerly 2.0 miles through Interlochen to the Interlochen State Park. Official maps for 1930 show the Schoolcraft Co route designated as M-137, while the number for the Grand Traverse Co route is not indicated. Then on 1931 official maps, the Schoolcraft Co route is shown as M-99 while the M-137 designation as been applied to the Interlochen highway. In any event, it is clear by 1930, M-137 has been permanently assigned to the Grand Traverse Co routing. |
| |
1931 (June 19) – The State Administrative Board approves a 0.9-mile extension of M-137 through Interlochen State Park as part of a total of 30 additional miles of roadway approved to be added to the trunkline sytem. |
| |
1931 (Aug 17) – The 0.9-mile southerly extension of M-137 south of Interlochen State Park is officially established as a trunkline route. |
| |
1956 (Mar 6) – The 1.3 miles of M-137 from just north of Diamond Park Rd in Interlochen southerly to the southern terminus is cancelled as a state trunkline when a new, more-flowing alignment is assumed into the system. The former route via Eugene Ormandy Ave & Frederick Stock Ave (on the Interlochen Center for the Arts campus) is turned back to local control, while the portion to the east of the new alignment through Interlochen State Park is abandoned and the road is obliterated. |
| |
2020 (June 29) – MDOT strikes an agreement with the Grand Traverse Co Road Commission to transfer the entirety of M-137 to county control, thus ending 91 years of state trunkline service to the community of Interlochen, the ICA and Interlochen State Park. M-137 route markers are removed soon after the transfer becomes official. |
| |
2021 (Sept 24) – For the first 15 months after ceasing to be a state trunkline route and, therefore, no longer being designated as M-137, the former state highway did not have an actual road name. Instead, it was referred to publicly as "M-137" (and not "Old M-137") and street addresses along the former route were addressed as either "M-137" or "Highway M-137." For example, the Interlochen Center for the Arts (ICA) was formerly at "4000 Highway M-137." According to the ICA website, "Earlier this year, the Green Lake Township Board of Trustees voted to name the township’s 2.5-mile stretch of M-137 J. Maddy Parkway in honor of the pioneering music educator Joseph E. Maddy, who founded Interlochen Arts Camp in 1928. The dedication ceremony will take place at noon on Friday, September 24, in the field adjacent to the iconic J. Maddy Parkway Crosswalk on the Interlochen campus." As such, ICA is now addressed as "4000 J Maddy Pkwy," although several other Interlochen businesses on the former M-137 have not yet publicly changed their addresses to the new road name. |
| Controlled Access: |
No portion of former M-137 upon decommissioning existed as freeway or expressway. |
| Weblinks: |
|
| |
|
