U.S. Route 81
Numbered U.S. Highway in the United States
U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for 1,220 miles (1,960 km) in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of State Highway Officials.
The route of US 81 follows that of the old Meridian Highway (so called because it roughly followed the Sixth Principal Meridian of the US Public Land Survey System) which dates back as early as 1911. The highway has alternately (and unofficially) been known as part of the Pan-American Highway. In the segment in the state of Oklahoma, the highway closely corresponds to the old Chisholm Trail for cattle drives from Texas to railheads in Kansas in the 1860s and 1870s.
As of 2025, the highway's northern terminus is just north of Pembina, North Dakota, at the Canadian border. At this point, it is routed along Interstate 29 (I-29) and continues northward into Manitoba on Highway 75, which leads to Winnipeg.
Its southern terminus is in Fort Worth, Texas, at an intersection with I-35W and US 287. From the route's first year of existence to 1991, US 81's southern terminus was at the Mexican border in Laredo, Texas. In 1991, the terminus was truncated to San Antonio. The route was shortened again to its present length of 1,234 miles (1,986 km) in 1993, when the terminus was moved to Fort Worth.
The public source identifies “U.S. Route 81” as numbered U.S. Highway in the United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Route, Numbered and Highway.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “U.S. Route 81”, the useful work is to connect “numbered U.S. Highway in the United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q410661. VIAF identifies the subject as 315531475. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1926, 1911, 2025 and 1991.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “U.S. Route 81”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow U.S. Route 81 primary sources, U.S. Route 81 archive and Route research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “U.S. Route 81”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “U.S. Route 81” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.