On July 1 , 1924 , the State Administrative Board named M ‑ 12 , the predecessor to US 2 in Michigan , the Bohn Highway to honor Frank P. Bohn , a prominent local citizen who later served in Congress from 1927 to 1933 . In 1929 , the residents of Escanaba created a memorial to the veterans of World War I called Memory Lane . The project consisted of elm and maple trees planted along US 2 / US 41 west of town . The American Legion sold the trees to local businesses and individuals who could honor specific soldiers . Later in 1949 , the Bessemer Women 's Club created a tribute in the form of a permanent living memorial to the area veterans . Also called Memory Lane , the group planted 140 elms and 1 @,@ 840 evergreens , trees and shrubs as a landscaped parkway along 2 @.@ 3 miles ( 3 @.@ 7 km ) of US 2 east of Bessemer .