End of US highway 177

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Alan Hamilton; Karin and Martin Karner; Ben Prusia; Eric Stuve

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1929-1965 South Haven, KS (near Tonkawa, OK)
1965-1985 South Haven, KS Dickson, OK
1985-present South Haven, KS Madill, OK

Since its commissioning in 1929, US 177 has been essentially an Oklahoma intrastate route - although its north end does venture four miles into Kansas, ending at its junction with US 81 in South Haven:

Prusia, Jan. 2002

This is right in the center of town; we're looking north on Main Street at Stewart Street. Southbound US 81 is to the left. The US 177 designation ends here, and straight ahead becomes northbound US 81. Incidentally, a half-mile ahead is the west terminus of US 166.

Originally the south end of US 177 was at a place known as Three Sands Junction. I'll do a little explaining, since major road atlases do not label Three Sands, and since the highways in that area have changed quite a bit. Heading north on US 77 between Perry and Tonkawa, you come to a junction with OK hwy. 156. That's Three Sands Jct (the actual locale of Three Sands is about three miles further north):

Stuve, Jan. 2003

Today US 77 continues straight ahead: north from Three Sands to Tonkawa, then due east with US 60 to Ponca City. But until about 1967, US 77 instead went east (to the right here) on what is now OK 156 to get to Ponca. Back then, if you stayed straight (in order to continue north to Tonkawa), you were on the south beginning of US 177. The historic map below illustrates this:

OK DoT, 1950

Three Sands Jct is shown to the west of Marland. At the time, that was the south end of US 177. You can also see its north end at South Haven KS.

In 1965, US 177 was truncated back to Tonkawa, and instead routed east from there with US 60 to Ponca. (Incidentally, this change brought about an interesting which-way multiplex between the two towns: if you're heading from Tonkawa to Ponca, you're on eastbound US 60, northbound US 77, and southbound US 177!) From Ponca, the US 177 designation was extended south all the way to Dickson, mostly along what had been OK hwys 40 and 18 (you can see OK 40 on the map above). Dickson was a logical place for US 177 to end at the time, because US 70 between Ardmore and Madill was routed through Dickson then:

OK DoT, 1970

Today US 70 is routed west of Madill along what was then marked as OK 199. State highway maps all the way up to 1984 show OK 199 deadending at the county line. But by the time of the 1985 issue, US 70 between Ardmore and Madill had been rerouted to go through Oakland and McMillan (instead of through Dickson). Its old route was signed as an extension of OK hwy. 199, as you can see on the photo below:

Stuve, May 2004

That's the former south end of US 177. However - instead of continuing to have US 177 end here (at what had become a state highway) - the designation was extended east (left) from here, along the route of old US 70...

...to its current southern terminus at US 70 in Madill:

Hamilton, 2000 Karners, Jan. 2012

If you look closely at the signs in the background, you can see how Oklahoma has changed their state route shields. That happened in 2009 or so, and you'll see more examples below. This next shot is looking east on US 70:

Karners, Jan. 2012

Kind of an awkward assembly - not sure why "West 199" and "North 177" are on two separate posts. Anyway: from this direction on Wiggs Avenue, traffic approaches something of a "T" intersection; US 70 continues by turning right onto First Street, while a left turn is the south beginning of US 177. Signage at the junction itself is shown below:

Hamilton, 2000 Karners, Jan. 2012

That same assembly is visible in this next photo (side view in the middleground), which was taken while heading north on 1st:

Karners, Jan. 2012

This carries westbound US 70, but drivers following that route need to turn left on Wiggs; if you continue straight, you're on the beginning of US 177. Barely visible in the lower left corner is the first northbound confirming assembly, which is shown close-up below:

Karners, Jan. 2012