The route was established in the 1920s, when it connected U.S. Highway 87, now Interstate 25, to Sedalia. By 1963, the road was deleted from Palmer Lake to Interstate 25 and the road was paved to its entirety. The road was extended to replace SH 50 (now deleted) due to confusion with U.S. Highway 50. A section from SH 83 to I-25 was deleted in October 2007.