Welcome to the Devil's Highway. At least that's what it's been nicknamed. Today we travel part of US 191. This segment of the highway runs from I-10 near Wilcox - where it was multiplexed with the interstate - to the city of Safford, a small city in eastern Arizona or about 10,000 people. Along the way we pass through small town and junctions, namely Swift Trail Junction, home of the Swift Trail/Safford Federal Correctional Institution, and near Fort Grant, a former Army fort turned State Prison.

US 191 gets it's nickname from it's predecessor: US 666. US 666 was originally a minor 135-mile highway running from Gallup, NM to Cortez, CO, established in 1926 with the initial signing of US Highways. It became the 6th child route of infamous US 66, which served as it's southern terminus in Gallup. It was given this number since all the odd-numbered (indicative of a N/S routing) child routes that would have fit in the system were taken.

US 666 saw it's first of two extensions in 1938, when it was extended south and west into Arizona, co-routing with it's parent to the town of Sanders, where it dipped south. This road remained dirt when it met and joined existing SR 61 to continue south to Saint Johns where SR 61 ended and US 666 met US 260. They continued south together, meeting with and joining US 60 itself just before Springerville. Just past Springerville, US 60 spilt off to head east into New Mexico while US 260 and US 666 continued to south to Alpine where US 260 split as well to head towards Silver City, NM. US 666 then followed the Coronado Trail, one of the most scenic and beautiful routes in western America.

It passed through Morenci and Clifton, ultimately coming to a T-junction with US 70 just east of Safford. From there, US 666 co-routed with US 70 into Safford, then split off to head south where it met SR 86 between Bowie and Wilcox. It again co-routed, this time with SR 86, to the town of Cochise. There, SR 86 split to head to Benson where it met with US 80 and US 666 continued on a slightly meandering path to end at then US 80 immediately west of Douglas.

The route from Springerville/Eager to Safford was originally SR 71, established in 1927. The segment from Safford to Douglas was originally SR 81, established the same year. In 1936, SR 71 was deleted and SR 81 was rerouted up to Springerville, ultimately extending along SR 61 to Sanders. Two years later this was transferred to US 666.

In 1992 Arizona requested a new number for US 666 in the state, asking for it to become part of US 191 for continuity and partly because the signs were very commonly stolen. At this time, US 191 was relatively new to the state having just been extended 11 years prior from Yosemite National Park as part of making US 191 into a 'National Parks Highway'. It was brought south to Chambers, AZ where it ended at I-40. The proposal was to have it multiplex I-40 to Sanders, then replace US 666 from Sanders to Douglas. The request was approved and US 666 was dealt it's first blow. In 2003, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, asked for a similar change, proposing that US 666 be deleted in it's entirety in favor of US 491. This was approved as well, making US 666 the most recent decommissioned US highway in America.

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