Department, which is now MDOT. When the original legislation creating a highway agency was declared unconstitutional in 1903, he kept the job in an unofficial capacity until the Legislature could rectify the situation. Earle designated that the first mile of state reward road in The Thumb, and residents formed a group to lobby to have the road named in his honor. The State Highway Commissioner Murray Van Wagoner designated M-53 in Earle's memory in April 1939, and the Legislature legislation two years later honoring him, but not officially naming the road. That was corrected in 2001 when the statutes naming various highways in the state were consolidated, and M-53 was officially designated the Earle Memorial Highway. Major intersections See also References External links M-53 at Michigan Highways 053 053 Transportation in Wayne County, Michigan Transportation in Macomb County, Michigan Transportation in Lapeer County, Michigan Transportation in Sanilac County, Michigan Transportation in Huron County, Michigan