Scranton

SCRANTON	Pop. 843. Alt. 1,172	Control, Post Office.
Marshalltown 87.8	Carroll 18.6	One hotel, 5 garages. Local speed limit, 12 miles per hour, enforced. One railroad crossing at grade, protected. Three banks, C&NW Railroad, 15 general business places, express company, 1 telephone company, 1 newspaper, Commercial Club. Camp grounds, electric lights, good water, free, maintained by Ladies' Welfare League.
Concrete, Gravel		L.H. Local Consul, James E. Moss.

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

Scranton.
The Lincoln Highway proceeded due west to enter the southeast end of Scranton. Then it quickly took a three-turn jog to pass the home of James Holden, one of the three members of the original Iowa State Highway Commission. From the early 1920s, Mr. Holden then had the country's first transcontinental highway passing a short distance from his front door. The house has been abandoned for some time.

East of Ralston.
Tiny Ralston does not appear in the 1924 Complete Official Road Guide of The Lincoln Highway, although there are several Lincoln Highway-related roadside artifacts including this one. "In the 1920s a patriotic veteran of the Civil War, who lost his left foot in the Battle of Mission Ridge and was personally decorated by President Abraham Lincoln, owned the farm at this corner. J.E. Moss was so proud of his war record, and the fact that he owned land on the highway dedicated to his personal hero, that he erected two corner posts in 1924 identifying his land and topped them with busts of the martyred president." (Greg Franzwa, The Lincoln Highway: Iowa, 1995). In the 1960s the heads of both busts were broken off. In fact, one of the monuments has lost most of its shoulder section as well. One of the heads was eventually found, and a mold was made for recasting additional busts. They should be re-attached in July 2001.

North of Ralston.
The "skew bridge" sits just inside the Greene/Carroll County line. It was so-named because the creek and road don't meet at a right angle. Rather than straighten the stream and build a conventional bridge, engineers constructed the handsome support with the wingwalls "askew."

"About two weeks ago W.O. Schuyler met a small boy on the Lincoln Highway who was headed on foot for Peoria, Ill. The boy asked Mr. Schuyler for a ride in his car and Walt brought him to Scranton. The lad gave his name as Clifford Maple and said he had left Peoria with his mother's consent and had accompanied some traveling horse traders as far as Glidden, where he deserted them and started for his home because he said they had misused him. Mr. Schuyler took him to his home for a night's lodging, fed him up, and the next day took up a collection and brought him some clothes and a ticket home besides sending the lad away with a small purse of money. Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler were very kind to this lad and have since received a letter from the boy's mother bringing news of his safe arrival home and expressing her heartfelt thanks and gratitude."

GREENE COUNTY

Scranton