Lincoln Highway News

Here are some scenes courtesy the city of Evanston, Wyoming, that show what attendees will enjoy at the 2008 Lincoln Highway Association national conference this June 17-21. The first photo is east of Evanston near Eagle Rock. Next is Evanston’s Historic Depot Square along Front Street, the Lincoln Highway. The last photo shows a Lincoln Highway concrete marker near Depot Square.

Shelly Horne, 2008 Conference 2008, sends along greetings:

The theme of the conference is “Rails, Trails, and Highway Tales.” Evanston was an end of track town on the U.P.R.R. in 1868. It has a rich railroad history and many preserved railroad buildings and artifacts that you will enjoy. It has one of the few remaining original roundhouses  west of the Mississippi with an operating turntable. Come ride it. Evanston sits near many of the old trails that people traveled from east to west to expand our great nation. You can visit the Mormon, Oregon, and California trails as well as the Pony Express route, all within easy driving distance.

And highway tales… we have hundreds of them. The first Wyoming Lincoln Highway consul was P.W. Spaulding from Evanston. He owned the first car in Uinta County, was a successful attorney, and a personal friend of Henry Joy, first president of the Lincoln Highway Association. We will be exhibiting a rare original LHA “Notable Service Award” given to PW Spaulding in the early years of the association. We will be giving a replica of this award to every attendee of the conference, a nice watch fob or key ring, and very rare. Hugh Colpharp will display his replica of the 10 millionth Ford Model T at the conference.

You could hardly cross the wide open country of Wyoming or the deserts of Utah without a water bag dangling from your radiator.  So we have replicated the desert water bag, complete with cork and rope, as a tote bag for your memorabilia collection at the conference. We love replicas. You will be provided with a special table decoration at the annual banquet, a crystal-like replica of an old antique Packard automobile engraved with the LHA logo. Take it, cherish it, put it in your water bag replica with your LHA medallion.

The tours will be exciting. West in Echo Canyon you will explore Mormon history and learn how the canyon walls were used to defend  against Johnson’s army; travel past the “Witches” to Taggart, to Wanship and the Echo reservoir. East to Fort Bridger and the Black and Orange cabins, then on to Miller’s crossing. See an eagles nest high on the bluffs of Church Butte. On the return trip to Evanston, watch film of the original military convoy that crossed the country from Washington DC to San Francisco on the Lincoln. See the comments of a young Lt. Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower about his experience on the convoy.

The speakers will present a myriad of topics from notable Lincoln Highway people, to Utah highway history,  to the 1908 New York-to-Paris Automobile Race. For dessert, we will be entertained by Willie Le Clair, Shoshone Indian, with stories of the Shoshone and Chief Washakie in Evanston.

Tour historic Evanston. Visit the Sunset Cabins on the Lincoln Highway. See Evanston’s original Lincoln Highway markers, and meet and visit with your LHA counterparts from across the country to exchange “Highway Tales.” You will be amongst the privileged few to attend and view the first Lincoln Highway Art and Photo show assembled by Ms. Kell Brigan, an LHA member in California.

If gas and airfare prices continue to rise it will become more expensive to attend future conferences. This is the time, this is the place, the 16th annual LHA conference, June 17th to 21st in Evanston, WY. Complete a registration form at www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org by May 2 to be eligible for a free conference reimbursement drawing. See you here!