In its original designation in the late 1920s, US 290 traveled from an intersection with US 80 northwest of Scroggins Draw to an eastern terminus in San Antonio. On March 1, 1935, US 290 was re-routed further north to terminate in Houston, and the previous alignment from Fredericksburg to San Antonio was redesignated as US 87. Following the 1935 re-routing, US 290 traveled through much of its present-day routing, with the exception of a designation traveling through Austin and Bastrop before following the Old San Antonio Road to Paige. On May 23, 1951, US 290 was rerouted further north to Elgin, while the original routing was transferred to SH 71 from Austin to Bastrop, and SH 21 from Bastrop to Paige.