Join the fun tomorrow, October 3, when plaques will be dedicated in Indiana at both ends of the Lincoln Highway’s Ideal Section, an early study of modern highway construction. The west sign will be in front of the First Midwest Bank in Dyer. The east sign will be in front of the Home Town Motel in Schererville.
Above is the original Ideal Section monument; below is a great old photo in Dyer from Kathy Powers, Dyer Historical Society.
Reception at 1:00 p.m. CDT, Dyer Historical Society
• Greet Art Schweitzer, local LH advocate and preservationist
• Browse the museum and see a newly donated 1928 LH post
• Meet LH authors Cynthia Ogorek and Jan Shupert-Arick.
• Enjoy refreshments provided by the Dyer Historical Society
Program at 1:30 p.m. CDT
• Presentations by LHA and Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
Plaque Dedications at 2:30 p.m. CDT
• Depart museum and go to the west end of the Ideal Section to dedicate a new plaque
• Then go to the east end to dedicate the second plaque in Schererville
Kathy offers some history behind the new markers:
Art Schweitzer, Schererville Historical Society, began this project several years ago. Because of state mandates there were many delays. When I approached our town manager, Joe Neeb, he picked up the ball and began working on the project. He arranged a meeting with the Schererville town manager, Bob Volkman, Schererville Town Council member, Tom Schmidt, Art Schweitzer, Cynthia Ogorek, author of “Lincoln Highway around Chicago,” Dennis Hawrot, Betty Jonas, and myself. Plans and ideas were discussed. Bob Volkman contacted Décor Iron Works who built posts for the signs and each town’s public works men installed the signs. Our sign is on a state poured concrete pad on a break-away post in front of First Midwest Bank. The sign itself was paid in large part by monies received from Bank Calumet thanks to Cal Bellamy. The Dyer Historical Society also contributed money.
A Flickr user named Bill posts photos of road trips taken on his the Honda ST1100 named “SilverSTreak.” He recently documented his wonderful cross-country journey along much of the 1913 alignment of the Lincoln Highway at www.flickr.com/photos/silverstreakst/3915870529/.
A monument for Lincoln Highway “father and founder” Carl Fisher will be dedicated this Saturday, October 3, 2009, at Fisher Pass in central Utah. Family member Jerry Fisher, who wrote The Pacesetter biography of Carl, will sign books afterwards. The site of the monument is at a crest on UT route 199 between Clover and Terra, Utah.
Guiding force Rollin Southwell writes:
Its been a long haul and we have lost a few of our committee members that gave their time and first $1000.00 for this project. They are the late Thomas A See and the late Norma Berns. But with the help,support and donations we are ready. A great big thank you goes to Stephen Ehninger of EFT Architects, Jerry Timmins, Jack Mason, Kenn Gillette with UDOT-Region 2, American Road Magazine, National Lincoln Highway Assoc. and State Chapters.
Fisher Pass was part of a plan by the Lincoln Highway Association to shorten the route across the Great Salt Desert. Using what was then calledJohnson Pass and building a road across the great Salt Flat (Goodyear Cutoff) would shorten the distance between Salt Lake City, Ut and Ely, NV by some 50 miles. Though the Cutoff was never compleed, Fisher Pass was finished. The State of Utah received Fisher money with interest, but the agreement was never completed as it was to include a monument to Fisher. The RG Southwell Foundation has led the charge in recent years to finally complete the task. Learn more at fisherpass.com/.
The Chambersburg Public Opinion reports that Pennnsylvania’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor appears to be one of the casualties of Pennsylvania’s budget battle.
Funding for the historical organization currently isn’t on any recent version of the Commonwealth’s budget, according to Kristin Poerschke, office manager for the Heritage Corridor in Ligioner. Should the organization not be funded with state dollars it would leave them looking at fundraising as its primary source of income potentially.
The Heritage Corridor was started in April 1995 and is one of 12 special “Heritage Areas” in the state devoted to promoting Pennsylvania’s Heritage. The corridor is composed of about 200 miles of U.S. 30, starting in Adams County and traveling west to Westmoreland County….
In previous years, Heritage Areas were funded through the state, with $1.95 million being divided among the dozen organizations. Should the budget pass without funding for the Heritage Areas, the Heritage Corridor will find itself in unfamiliar territory….
The organization will look to raise funding by holding events rather than soliciting donations, she said. The corridor will host an “An Affair with Lincoln” in Ligonier in December that will include arts, crafts, music and an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
Visit the heritage corridor HQ at 215 East Main St, Ligonier, PA, or go to www.lhhc.org/.
The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition’s first Interpretive Gazebo was dedicated on Sunday, September 20, in Creston, Illinois. Diane Rossiter, director of the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition, says 15 more gazebos are being constructed across the state in the Illinois Lincoln Highway Corridor: “With the approval of an FHWA Implementation Grant and a Transportation Enhancement Grant, the gazebos are being developed in cooperation with the City of Dixon, Wendler Engineering of Dixon, Horizon Displays of DeKalb, Sebastian Construction of Brookfield and – last, but not least – with the continued support of our community partners.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of October, perfect time to take a cruise through Illinois. For more information, visit www.drivelincolnhighway.com/.
An avalanche of work has made me fall way behind posting updates, but here’s something you’ll enjoy on YouTube – a clip of “Fording the Lincoln Highway,” the silent film made by Ford Motor Company about the 10-millionth Model T’s promotional tour from New York to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway in 1924:
The September newsletter arrived from the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) with a report on the completion of the first of 16 Interpretive Gazebos to be constructed along the Illinois Lincoln Highway corridor. There’s also a report on the National Scenic Byways Conference that was held in Denver, and lots else too. Ask to have them emailed to you too at www.drivelincolnhighway.com/.
The Carroll, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce blog reports on three upcoming events that, while not directly Lincoln Highway related, nonetheless have the coast-to-coast road as a focus.
A lecture on Sept. 24 is for business leaders who want to hear how byways can have a positive impact on a community from an identity perspective as well as economically. The free lecture at Santa Maria starts at 7:00 pm, meal at 6:00 pm (reservations required).
Bus tours on Sept. 29 and 30 are also for leaders and business owners who want to see what the tourists see between Grand Junction and Westside: “Seen from the eyes of a New York traveler who knows nothing of Iowa, our history and land is new to them and not boring. With some interpretation sites to point out, we can attract tourists just as Route 66 does in the south.”
The Alice09 Yahoo group has 20 new photos from the centennial re-enactment of Alice Ramsey’s pioneering drive across the U.S. Visit groups.yahoo.com to sign up. There were at least two such trips this summer; this one found Dorothy Grace and Dana McNair driving much of the Lincoln Highway in commemoration of Alice Ramsey’s 1909 trip, Dorothy in a 1915 Model T and Dana driving a 1909 Cadillac.
Dorothy just posted the photos in the “July 3-6” album, such as these below: Ruth, Nevada, and the California state line.
From Oh My News comes a series of reports by David McLane documenting life in small towns along four major highways in the US. First was US 95 from Mexico to Canada, then south on US 395 from Canada near Laurier, Washington, then merging with I-15 near Hesperia, California (at one time it went all the way to Mexican border near San Diego and was called the “Three Flags Highway”). The third section of the journey is the Lincoln Highway, then wrapping up with US 60 starting at Virginia Beach.
To get to San Francisco, they went north through the central valley of California and Weedpatch, made famous by John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.” This report ends when they reach “the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, the west end of the Lincoln Highway”: english.ohmynews.com/.
Now they’re on their way driving eastward: english.ohmynews.com/. Click at the end of each article to see the two reports since this one. You’ll find some interesting observations about life along the road, and some cool photos too.
A new travel column at San Fransico’s examiner.com features the Lincoln Highway‘s Western Terminus marker and maps out a trip across California and Nevada.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
Like this blog? You'll LOVE my books!Lincoln Highway Companion features detailed maps and places to eat and stay. Click the book to buy it on Amazon.
Click the Greetings book below to purchase the ultimate guide to the history and route of the Lincoln Highway!
Another fun book! The Ship Hotel: A Grand View along the Lincoln Highway recalls the greatest roadside attraction along the coast-to-coast road.
And for those who LOVE diners, click the book below to purchase our completely updated guide to the history, geography, and food of Pennsylvania's Diners!
Lincoln Highway News 