The 1915 routing of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne, Indiana, will soon be marked with red, white, and blue markers. The [Fort Wayne] News-Sentinel reports that the new signs for the old road will be dedicated by Mayor Tom Henry on May 21, 2009. Currently the only nod to its existence are at each end of the 1915 Harrison Street Bridge, noting the distance to New York (724 miles) and San Francisco (2,660 miles).
Two weather-beaten stone signs easily missed by passing motorists, there are few visible reminders of downtown Fort Wayne’s importance to America’s first transcontinental highway….
“Now you’ll be able to drive around Allen County and know where the road was,” said [Jan Shupert-Arick,] Fort Wayne resident and author of a new book about “The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana.”…
“Right now, it can be frustrating (to find the old highway) in urban areas. There are dead-ends and other obstacles,” Shupert-Arick said, noting that the soon-to-be posted route won’t direct anyone “where it’s not safe.”…
When Henry proclaimed May “Historic Preservation Month,” he said, “We understand that moving forward into our future includes honoring our past, and we know how important it is to the vitality of our city to ensure strong revitalization efforts.”
Marker dedication will be at the Lincoln Highway Bridge—Harrison Street at the St. Mary’s River. Call (260) 427-1127 for details, or visit http://www.indianalincolnhighway.com.
Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed six bills into law on March 17, one of which renames the bridge carrying US 30 over Main Street in North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, as the Veterans Bridge. See the actual House Bill 363 here.
According to the bill, the “designation honors the commitment, service and sacrifice of this country’s veterans and will serve as a tangible reminder of the courage and patriotism of the veterans who served this Commonwealth and this nation.” It will take effect in 60 days.
US 30 here is a bypass of the original Lincoln Highway that runs perpendicular to the Irwin business district. The above postcard copy shows the bridge under construction ca. 1939, with the business district behind it. The LH was being realigned in anticipation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s western terminus opening in 1940 about a mile to the east.
Here’s a relaxing ride on the Lincoln Highway/US 40 starting just west of Donner Summit in California.
The motorcycles (one following another) head east, top the summit, cross the Rainbow Bridge (site of the recent bear rescue), and pull over for a view of Donner Lake below. Then it’s back of the road among the pine trees and gentle curves as the highway descends the mountain. Much smoother than most videos shot form a moving vehicle. Note that the bridge is a later alignment – the original Lincoln Highway curved under the tracks of the Transcontinental Railroad, to the right of the bridge, and can still be walked.
Video by Mellowmike43, added August 2007, with music by Arlo Guthrie.
The Iowa Lincoln Highway Association is organizing its first-ever River to River Motor Tour across Iowa for August 8-10, 2008. All cars are invited, and classic car owners can rest easy that no gravel alignments will be on the official route. Participants can join or leave the tour at any point.
Above: The newly wiidened bridge between Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1924. (Univ of Michigan, Special Collections Library, lhc2218)
Starting in Clinton, highlights will include:
• Site of the Lyons-Fulton Bridge in Clinton
• Walk on the abandoned Lincoln Highway west of Lowden
• Restored Youngville Café in Benton County
• World-famous Lincoln Highway Bridge in Tama
• State Center, the “rose capital of Iowa”
• Tour restored Reed/Niland corners in Colo
• Lincoln Highway Clubhouse in Jefferson
• Drive on the brick Lincoln Highway in Woodbine
• Hitchcock Nature Center near Honey Creek
Registration is $20 per vehicle for Iowa LHA members or $30 per vehicle for non-members that registers that person for a one year membership to the Iowa LHA. For more information, visit the Iowa LHA website or contact coordinator LHA Iowa director Jeff LaFollette, who has previously chaired motor tours along Route 66 in Illinois, at jefflaf@peoplepc.com or (563) 349-3047.
Police patches are increasingly being collected by those interested in the imagery itself, causing concern that the patches will be used to impersonate an officer. Among the many collectable topics is the Lincoln Highway, particularly patches with a road-related graphic. The patch of the Tama, Iowa, police includes what is perhaps the most recognizable LH landmark, the town’s concrete bridge with the road’s name in its side rails. An article in the Marshalltown Times-Republican says eBay offers thousands of patches daily due to this cross-collectability: “Recently a pair of Tama Police Department patches which features the famed Lincoln Highway bridge along with an older department patch sold for just over $27 for the three. It’s likely both police patch and Lincoln Highway memorabilia collectors drove the price offering on the eBay site.” Most departments do not give patches to collectors, but instead destroy old or worn ones.
The police page for Cairo, Ohio makes clear in big red letters, “Cairo PD is not currently giving away or trading patches.” The patch shows the road and spells out “Lincoln Highway.” The page, which has a LH logo, also recounts the road’s history through town:
“In 1921 Lincoln Highway went through Cairo, which was known as West Cairo at the time, on the former Bucyrus Road. Lincoln Highway was eventually designated as U.S. 30. When U.S. 30 was expanded into a four lane, Cairo was bypassed approximately one half mile to the south. Although U.S. 30 has moved south, historic Lincoln Highway still runs through Cairo.”
One of the most popular posts here has been the October 31 story about a bear stuck overnight on the Rainbow Bridge at Donner Summit, and how volunteers rescued it the next day. The bridge is on a rerouting of the Lincoln Highway—the original path can still be seen snaking through the “subway” beneath the old railroad tracks, but that was bypassed in 1926 by the road that includes this bridge. Truckee Animal Control Officer Dan Olsen has graciously loaned more of his on-the-spot photos that show the dedication and determination of volunteers who rigged a net, tranquilized the bear, and lowered it to safety. Thanks again Dan!
LHA map committee chair Paul Gilger tells us that the big story along the Lincoln Highway in California last month was the rescue of a bear hanging from the Rainbow Bridge atop Donner Summit.
According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the 250-pound bear climbed over the edge to avoid cars about 3 pm Saturday, Sept. 15, then got stuck and hung on overnight until being rescued around noon Sunday. Claw marks could be seen in the concrete railing where the bear tried to stop itself from falling.
A passerby got a net from an Army surplus store and strung it beneath the span, then an animal control official shot it with a tranquilizer dart. A pole was used to push the bear off the girder, then about a dozen volunteers safely lowered the bear 80 feet to the rocky ground below as about 100 spectators cheered. Truckee Animal Control Officer Dan Olsen said the joint effort included help from his organization plus The BEAR League, Nevada County Animal Control, the California Highway Patrol, and rock and tree climbers.
Photos courtesy Town of Truckee Animal Control, and special thanks to its Manager Dan Olsen.
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