Starting at US 10 between Custer and Amherst Junction, WIS 161 begins to proceed eastward. It then passes Nelsonville and then New Hope. In Iola, WIS 161 briefly runs concurrently with WIS 49. Continuing eastward, WIS 161 then ends at WIS 22/WIS 110 near Symco.[2]
History
Initially, in 1923, WIS 161 traveled from WIS 18 (later US 10; now CTH-KK) Amherst Junction to WIS 22 near Symco.[3][4] Then, in 1926, with the creation of US 10 and the removal of WIS 18, WIS 161 was truncated from Amherst Junction to Nelsonville. This was done in favor of US 10's direct connection to Nelsonville.[5][6] Later, US 10 lost its connection to Nelsonville and instead bypassed it. As a result, WIS 161 extended west to US 10's new alignment. WIS 161's former connection was then transferred to local control (replaced by CTH-A, now CTH-Q).[6][7] However, by 1935, that change was reverted.[8][9]
In 1951, WIS 161 was then reverted to its original routing as a result of US 10's reversion to its 1927–1935 routing.[10][11] Since 2007, WIS 161 has moved off from Amherst Junction.[1]
^Wisconsin Highway Commission (1928). Official Highway Map of Wisconsin(PDF) (Map). 1:950,400. Madison: Wisconsin Highway Commission. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Wikimedia Commons.
^Wisconsin Highway Commission (1934). Official Highway Map of Wisconsin(PDF) (Map). 1:887,040. Madison: Wisconsin Highway Commission. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Wikimedia Commons.
^State Highway Commission of Wisconsin (January 1935). Official Highway Map of Wisconsin(PDF) (Map). 1:887,040. Madison: State Highway Commission of Wisconsin. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Wikimedia Commons.
^State Highway Commission of Wisconsin (1951). Official Highway Map of Wisconsin(PDF) (Map). 1:887,040. Madison: State Highway Commission of Wisconsin. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Wikimedia Commons.
^State Highway Commission of Wisconsin (1952). Official Highway Map of Wisconsin(PDF) (Map). 1:887,040. Madison: State Highway Commission of Wisconsin. OCLC192095828. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Wikimedia Commons.