Between 1905 and 1930, Michigan built a network of highways on what were once Native American paths and military, wagon, plank, and farm-to-market roads. The age of mud was over; the age of concrete and asphalt was beginning. In Michigan, we have a long-standing tradition of naming our highways. From the earliest days, most of our early roads shared a name with a prominent person, or a meaningful geographical feature. Giving names to our highways is a way of connecting people with the land. By the 1920s, the state and federal governments had developed a national numbering standard to replace the common practice of naming highways. But naming highways is a popular tradition that continues to this day. The state Legislature has named sections of the interstates for a wide variety of individuals and organizations prominent in Michigan history. They range from former President Gerald Ford to auto pioneers Walter Chrysler, Edsel Ford, David Buick, and Louis Chevrolet and labor leader Walter P. Reuther