U.S. Highway 281 through South Dakota History of 281
Alignment: South Dakota border (US-281)
north of Spencer to Kansas border (US-281)
south of Red Cloud
Distance: 223 miles
NHS: O'Neill to Grand Island
Multiplexing: Shared alignment with N-12 for 4 miles east
from Spencer; with US-275 through O'Neill; with N-91 for 6 miles around
the Wheeler/Greeley County line; with N-22 for 8 miles in southern Greeley
County; with N-92 for 2 miles south from St. Paul; with N-2 through Grand
Island; with US-34 from Grand Island to Hastings; with US-6 on the south
side of Hastings; with N-74 for 2 miles east from Ayr; with N-4 for 4
miles in northern Webster County
Intersecting Interstates: I-80 south of Grand Island
Multi-Lane Segments: N-58 near St. Libory to Hastings
History and Notes: Route in place before 1940, although it
has gone through some realignments over the years. It previously entered
South Dakota along what is now N-11; it was realigned in Wheeler and
Greeley Counties; and in northern Webster County.
Attractions Along the Way: Stahr Museum of the Prairie
Pioneer (Grand Island); Willa Cather State Historical Site (Red Cloud)
Follow This Highway Across: North
Dakota, South
Dakota, Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Texas