Posts Tagged ‘highway history’
December 16, 2008
More than a half-year after moving and losing track of just about everything, I’m down to the last few boxes to open, and there in one of them was The Lincoln Highway around Chicago by Cynthia Ogorek. The 128-page book was published by Arcadia earlier this year — my review was to be a preview when I started this post in March! Since then many reviews have appeared favorably recapping the highlights. My best compliment about it is that it is unlike other LH books; it is not just a retelling of existing information, it is a grand amalgamation of numerous sources, some familiar to LH fans, others dug out from local archives. The introduction and captions bespeak of a solid familiarity with local history and geography. Although a few images from the LHA collection may be familiar to fans, nearly every page brings new and interesting vintage views.
Chapter 1 explores the original route and the people behind its improvement. Chapter 2 is all about the Ideal Section. Chapter 3 highlights roadside businesses, including some great gas station shots. Chapter 4 looks at the connection to the many electric interurban lines that served Chicago. (One of my favorite photos is found here — an aerial view of snowbound motorists astride the Park Forest neighborhood of Lincolnwoods, with an impending development across the road. It is also the source of the photo below that shows the Lincoln Theater in Chicago Heights, a 1960s shopping center in Matteson, and the fabulous Northgate Shopping Center Sign near Aurora — and I’m glad to report that Cynthia says this has been designated a local landmark.) Chapter 5 examines the inevitable bypasses. Chapter 6 reviews recent events, from restoration of the Ideal Section monument to Art Schweitzer’s efforts to document and salvage part part os that section; from Lincoln Highway Lady Lyn Protteau visiting the area to Mad Mac’s March across Illinois.
All of Arcadia Books leave me wanting more — more text, better quality on many photos, a break from the monotonous crammed design — but some authors rise above that to present well-researched, insightful books. This is one of them. $19.95 or $14.95 from Amazon.
Tags:book review, Chicago Heights, Chicago IL, highway history, IL history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, roadtrip
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, signs, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
December 9, 2008
Dave Zollinger, aka Spiny Norman, has been expanding his Goshen Lincoln Highway blog so much that it’s already spawned a sequel at www.indianaslincolnhighway.blogspot.com called “Indiana’s Lincoln Highway.”
It’s already got some great stories, like a visit to the well-known Magic Wand drive-in restaurant in Churubusco, and the start of a cross-state tour at the Ohio line.
Tags:Churubusco IN, classic restaurant, highway history, Indiana, Magic Wand drive-in, Ohio
Posted in food, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
December 1, 2008
The popular Niland’s Cafe in Colo, Iowa, will reopen December 5 and operate three days a week through the winter.
The Nevada Journal revealed the joint plan between the city of Colo, which owns the historic Reed-Niland property, and the Colo Development Group, which manages the property for the city:
Ben Weir, president of the development group, said Missy Bitters, of Colo, will be overseeing the day-to-day operation of the restaurant…. Previously, the city and development group have leased the restaurant to those who have operated it…. Weir said the development group won’t heavily advertise the opening at first, because “we want to allow Missy to get in and get organized … and get her feet wet.”
Bitters said hours of operation will be 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. She said one of the things the restaurant will bring back from the past is the loose meat sandwiches that historic owner John Niland made popular for the restaurant.
Above is Colo city clerk Scott Berka at the Niland’s Cafe counter.
Tags:cafe, classic cafe, Colo Iowa, highway history, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, roadside
Posted in food, highways, history, Road trip, roadside, travel | 1 Comment »
November 24, 2008
The cover to The Lincoln Highway across Indiana has been released, showing a classic view of one of the Lincoln Highway’s cast-iron state line markers—this one at the Illinois border. The book was written by Jan Shupert Arick for the state’s LHA chapter. It will retail for $21.99 when published in Spring 2009.
Tags:auto history, early automotive, highway history, Indiana, Lincoln Highway
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
November 21, 2008
Ibapah is along the original Lincoln Highway that crosses the Utah desert between Salt Lake City and Ely, Nevada. You’ll need most of a full day to drive the dirt roads between those points but you’ll also see Orr’s Ranch, Fish Springs, Gold Hill, and other unpopulated outposts.
The Ibapah Trading Post is bound to become one of the Lincoln Highway’s must-stops, much like Oatman, Arizona, draws travelers to a desolate part of Route 66. I’ve been corresponding with Carolee Johnson at the post in anticipation of my next book, Lincoln Highway Companion. The big news is they now have a cabin for rent along with the old country store.
Carolee wrote:
We are trying to make this stop on the Lincoln Highway a little more inviting as funds become available, and people are welcome to stop through in June to watch real Western Cowboys rope and brand the livestock, and check out a real Old West ghost town. The buildings in the town are all still there as it was at one time the main stop for the overland stage between Chicago and Sacramento. There are stories of bandits coming to rob gold, mined out of the Queen of Sheba Gold Mines, out of the safe in the store where it waited for the overland stage. Efforts were foiled when the store owner was tipped off and hid the bars of gold in the ashes of the old pot belly stove. We still have the safe that was rolled out and blown up with dynamite by the bandits. Needless to say they didnt get the gold. This stop on the Lincoln Highway is teaming with US history and deserves to be on the map. I very much appreciate what you are doing for the history of the Lincoln Highway, and hope this helps a little.
Tags:ghost town remnants, highway history, Ibapah UT, lonely outpost, Route 66 -Oatman AZ, Utah, Wild West
Posted in food, highways, history, lodging, Road trip, roadside, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
November 19, 2008
Two long-lost Lincoln Highway markers were unearthed recently in California. They are two of the concrete posts planted along the road in 1928 as a final memorial to Lincoln and the road named for him. LHA president Bob Dieterich explains:
I got an email from Lee Hollifield saying he had two “Lincoln Highway posts.” He didn’t want them resold, but wanted them put on display and his father-in-law, Ray Helm, given credit as the donor. Everybody agreed that the California Chapter of the LHA should take possession. Norm Root and Lloyd Johnson and I drove up to Camino (on the Pioneer Branch of the LH near US 50) to see them. Beside his driveway were the two posts, barely recognizable because of all the red volcanic soil that had leached into the concrete.
Ray had half-interest in a salvage yard and when he and his partner dissolved the business about 20 years ago, they each took what they wanted. There were four posts; we think two of them ended up at the entrance to the El Dorado County museum at the county fairgrounds in Placerville. Ray took the other two home and laid them beside his driveway. Over the years they literally sunk into the ground. Lee dug them out of the ground and they decided to donate them somewhere. They are now at Norm Root’s house waiting restoration. Both are cracked, but Norm can perform miracles on concrete.
At our last California chapter meeting, we voted that one of them should end up in the Folsom History Museum. Folsom is also on the Pioneer branch and the museum is a logical place to display them while being protected from vandalism.
The top photo shows Norm Root and Lloyd Johnson standing by the markers as we found them. The second photo shows the markers being loaded into the back of Norm Root’s Suburban.
The third photo shows the posts being pressure washed in Norm’s driveway.
You can also read about it from the donor’s perspective HERE, and here is one some of his images:
Tags:buried markers unearthed, California, Camino CA, highway history, highway markers
Posted in highways, history, museum, roadside | 3 Comments »
November 6, 2008
Mitch Harper wrote on his Fort Wayne Observed blog about a beautiful house that will soon be demolished along the Lincoln Highway (IN 930) just east of Fort Wayne in New Haven, Indiana:
Its demolition will mean a little bit more of the historic record of the Lincoln Highway will be lost. In recent years, the demolition of the old Hoosier Courts motel and the Jefferson Consolidated School means that the structures which were familiar sights – and sites – to motorists traveling the Lincoln Highway are gone forever.
Above is a photo from Mitch’s blog – click to see it large. While the elegant appointments inside are set to be auctioned this Sunday, locals are outraged that such a demolition could occur. Here are some of the comments:
• WHY ARE WE TEARING THIS HOUSE DOWN?! I looked at the stuff up for auction – the interior of that house is drop dead gorgeous.
• You can’t build something like this today. I am so, so sad. Someone — please save this place!
• I can’t believe demolition is the only option for this house.
Angie Quinn, Executive Director of ARCH, Inc., answered questions about designating it a historic landmark:
The Dr. Cowan House is eligible for the National Register [plus] … Municipalities and counties in Indiana can adopt a Historic Preservation Ordinance, which places some protections on landmarks like this…. Both Allen County and the City of New Haven have the information about adopting a Historic Preservation Ordinance, and ARCH and others have pushed for this for several years. Unfortunately, neither has adopted an ordinance at this time.
Tags:Fort Wayne, highway history, historic preservation, house demolition, Lincoln Highway, New Haven IN
Posted in highways, history, roadside | 3 Comments »
October 29, 2008
Reviews have been coming in for the PBS program A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway.
South Bend Tribune
Central NJ newspapers group
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Toledo Blade, and The Truth Newspaper in Elkhart, IN, all used the Scripps story
So did Salt Lake City’s Deseret News, which missed a great opportunity to interview three leading LH historians in its area, two of them prominently featured in the program
Pittsburgh Tribune Review commented on the show and its music
Detroit Free Press and Lansing State Journal among others used the same text and made it tonight’s Must-See
Our friend Ron Warnick reviews it on his site, Route 66 News
Finally, USAToday compliments the show but it’s obvious the reviewer skipped the preview DVD when he writes, “Sebak sometimes allows his passion for roadside stands to overwhelm the road itself.” Once you’ve seen it, you too will wonder “what roadside stands??” and then guess that the reviewer made an assumption based on past shows.
The above images are from producer Rick Sebak. Learn more about the show here.
Tags:fun highway show, highway history, Lincoln Highway, PBS program, reviews of PBS show, TV, WQED-TV
Posted in highways, Road trip, travel | 4 Comments »
October 28, 2008
Rick Sebak and his crew filmed dozens of hours but only had room for about 15 stories in A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway. Five stories that were finished but couldn’t fit in the hour-long program will be on the DVD as extras. And starting today — not only are they available online but so are 21 more outtakes from the show.
The five feature stories are on Woodine Iowa’s Brick Street Station, a bookstore in North Platte NE, a garage-turned-tavern in Lyman WY, a woman in Morrison IL with a yard full of lawn ornaments, and a farmer’s market in Belle Plaine IA.
The 21 outtakes cover a wide range of people and places, from Bernie Queneau recalling his Boy Scout life-saving demonstrations on the famed 1928 safety tour to Michael Wallis describing the genesis of Radiator Springs for the movie Cars and how it represents towns not only on Route 66 but along any old 2-lane. You’ll also see familiar faces from the LHA as well as folks from along the road who you’ll meet in the program.
Tags:Boy Scout history, Cars movie, DVD extras, highway history, Lincoln Highway, Michael Wallis, PBS special, Radiator Springs, Rick Sebak PBS, Route 66, TV, US map, video extras
Posted in highways, history, Road trip, roadside, travel | 2 Comments »
October 27, 2008
It won’t ship till after the show airs nationally, but A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway DVD is available for pre-order from PBS.
The DVD includes 5 extra segments as listed on the back cover below plus we’ll have more information about them later this week. Above is a screen shot from the end of the program; note the cover has changed slightly since the program was finished, as seen in these images provided by producer Rick Sebak.
Tags:automotive history, DVD of historic highway program, fun video, highway history, PBS show, US history
Posted in food, highways, history, lodging, Road trip, roadside, signs, souvenirs, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
Lincoln Highway News 