 The first state trunkline highway designated along the path of the modern US 41 was M @-@ 15 , in use as far back as 1919 . The 1925 draft plan for the establishment of the US Highway System would have replaced M @-@ 15 with three different US Highways . Between Menominee and Powers , M @-@ 15 was to follow the route that US 41 follows today . East of Powers to Rapid River , the trunkline would have been just US 2 . The next segment between Rapid River and Covington was planned as US 102 while the remainder north to Copper Harbor was planned as US 41 In between Powers and Covington , US 41 was planned to follow US 2 west to Iron Mountain and then route of the modern US 141 between Powers and Covington . When the system was created on November 11 , 1926 , US 41 was the only US Highway routed along the alignment of M @-@ 15 . The original map showed US 41 following an unbuilt alignment between Powers and Marquette . The new US 41 designation was instead routed to follow the former M @-@ 15 . 
