CRAWFORD COUNTY

Vail

VAIL	Pop. 631 Alt. 1,255	Control, Post Office
Carroll 17.4	Omaha 81.3	One hotel, 2 garages. Local speed limit 10 miles per hour, enforced. C&NW Railroad, express company, telephone company. Camp Grounds.
Graded Dirt

- A Complete Official Road Guide of The LINCOLN HIGHWAY Fifth Edition (1924)

Northeast of Vail.
From the U.S. 30 overpass, you can spot the original Lincoln Highway as the abandoned grade between the telephone poles and the tracks. The old highway made a sharp left turn after crossing the tracks on its way to Vail on the horizon. Eventually the overpass was constructed to eliminate the right angle. As the old Lincoln and new U.S. 30 approach Vail, they converge. Squarely in the middle of this photo there is a culvert - see next photo. This photo illustrates a handy rule of thumb when trying to locate abandoned grades of the Lincoln: "Always follow the telephone poles."

Northeast of Vail.
Culvert in the grade described above. The grade is more apparent in this photo.

Vail.
"Small Engine's Sales & Service," a building on the Lincoln Highway then and on U.S. Highway 30 now. Both roads went straight through town.

Vail.
The town water tower stands high atop a hill on the west edge of town, with the Lincoln Highway bordering the east.

"The lower street was a shambles. Two days before it had been hit by a terrific flood, leaving the board sidewalks so buckled they could scarcely be used. Water a foot deep still stood in some of the stores and shops. It was a pathetic sight!

Most of the water, to be sure, had run down the valley toward Council Bluffs and the residents in Vail doubted if we could get through beyond Denison. They seemed pretty positive about it.

...Soon we were seated on a couple of wooden crates, with a large piece of wrapping paper on a third box for a table and cloth. We had crackers and cheese and sardines, using toothpicks for forks. We were fed; we had fun as well."

- Alice Ramsey, 1908