When the Meridian Highway was laid out in 1911 as a north–south auto route from Canada toward the Gulf of Mexico, its Pierce County section followed a road German settler families had used between Norfolk and Hadar since 1866. Banker and car enthusiast Woods Cones of Pierce laid out the county's route. In 1939 U.S. 81 was moved east, bypassing the Pierce County towns, and this stretch was left much as it was: about 4.5 miles of gravel county road on 552nd Avenue, 853rd Road and 551st Avenue, with a 1915 steel truss bridge by the Canton Bridge Company, a steel girder bridge from about 1920, 11 concrete culverts dated 1920 and a 1920 concrete overlay where the road flooded. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and is still maintained by Pierce County.

Visiting: History Nebraska marker 434, "The Meridian Highway: From Canada to Mexico," stands at Highway 13 and 552nd Avenue, about 4 miles southeast of Pierce, on the original alignment. The segment is open public gravel road; drive slowly and watch for farm traffic, and avoid it when wet.

Information: Pierce County Clerk, 111 W. Court St., Pierce; 402-329-4225.