Banta Inn
22563 S 7th St
Banta, CA 95376

Clayton Mehring will lead the program, which will be about Lincoln Highway geocaching. What is geocaching? How does it work? You’ll get a chance to try it out. If you have a handheld GPS unit, bring it along! This program is in keeping with our efforts to acquaint a wider range of people with the Lincoln Highway.

Agenda

1. Recording Secretary for the day
2. Approve minutes of October 4
3. Officers’ reports
4. State director’s report
5. Project reports
6. Announcements
   
   • Heritage Preservation League of Folsom is presenting us an award on Thursday, Jan 8 at 5:00pm at the Folsom Museum. All are invited.
7. Program: Lincoln Highway Geocaching by Clayton Mehring

Our next meeting will be on Saturday, March 21 at the Folsom Museum in Folsom, where we will donate one of our real marker posts to the museum.

Quarterly Chapter Meeting
Saturday, October 4, 2008
12:00 noon

Baker’s Square Restaurant
255 2nd St (at B St)
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-4190

• map

Saturdays at noon is a very busy time for them. They will reserve a table for 20 in the back room. However, others may have to share the other tables in that room. There is plenty of parking all around the building.

They serve breakfast all day with a cost of about $7. Sandwiches run from $8 to $10.

The historic significance of the place is that we have been telling folks for years that this corner is where Lincoln Highway marker post #2369 once stood. I’m not so sure about that now, but, for sure, this is on the Lincoln Highway.

Joanne Pelz is the program, which will be about Lincoln Highway Volkswalks.  She has a mini Lincoln Highway Volkswalk planned for us beginning at 2nd and B.  This program is in keeping with our effort to acquaint a wider range of people with the Lincoln Highway.

• Bicyclist riding to Tijuana to raise awareness of lung diseases, San Mateo County Times (San Mateo, CA), July 24, 2008

There will be a dedication ceremony for a new sign commemorating the Lincoln Highway and the Wiggins Trading Post in Lathrop, CA on Saturday, December 8 at 11:30 AM, at the corner of South Harlan Road and Thomsen Street. Refreshments will be provided.

The full program is below.

Program

Welcome
John Serpa, Member of the Lincoln Highway Association and Sunrise Rotary

Presentation of Colors
Marine Corps League, Modesto Detachment #109

Musical Medley
“America the Beautiful”

Thanks
Gabe Young, cement and engraving of stone monument
Brian Green, Signarama of Tracy

Introduction of Honored Guests
see Honored Guests below

Speakers
John Garamendi, Lieutenant Governor of California
Kristy Sayles, Mayor of Lathrop
Norm Root, President of the California Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association

Unveiling of Monument
Boy Scouts of America, Troup #425, Lathrop, CA (accompanied by a musical medley)

Presentation of Marine Corps League Certificate of Appreciation for Loyalty and Patriotism
Presented by John Treantos, Commandant, Modesto Detachment #109, to Mr. Dalwinder Dhoot, for flying the American flag continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 14 years at Joe’s Travel Plaza

Completion of Ceremony
Mr. John Serpa will call for the retirement of colors

Invitation
Mr. Dhoot cordially invites all guests to join the grand opening festivities for the new Best Western hotel

Food and drinks will be provided

Honored Guests

John Garamendi
Lieutenant Governor of California

Kristy Sayles
Mayor, City of Lathrop

Dalwinder Dhoot
Host

Members of the California Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association

Stephen Dresser
President, Lathrop Sunrise Rotary

Dolores Delgado
Chief of Police, City of Lathrop

Best Western Representative

Charles Edwards
Boy Scout Troup #425 Leader

Richard Wiggins
Grandson of Francis Wiggins

Mary Kennedy
President, Lathrop Chamber of Commerce

The Lincoln Highway

In 1913, Carl Fisher, president of the Prest-O-Lite Company, along with several other prominent businessmen, set out to establish a “Coast-to-Coast” road that would connect our great nation. Until this time, there were only fragmented sections of road, connecting small towns to the railroad or to river cities. The new road would not only allow motorists to travel freely across the country, no longer bound to railroad time schedules and destinations, but would also attract residents of the East Coast to the Panama-Pacific Exposition, being held in San Francisco in 1915.

The original route of the Lincoln Highway (1913-1927) traveled from Stockton through Lathrop, on what is now Harlan Road, passing the Wiggins Trading Post on its way to Tracy and eventually Lincoln Park in San Francisco. With the opening of the Carquinez Bridge in 1927, some traffic was diverted onto the Fairfield-Vacaville route (1927 until the Lincoln Highway lost official status in 1928).

Wiggins Trading Post

Wiggins Trading Post was established on the Lincoln Highway in 1924. Francis Wiggin opened his store to serve the needs of the motoring public traveling through the Central Valley. He provided Gilmore Gasoline, oil, and other motoring necessities. In 1932, he began selling “Indian Head” Gasoline, for which he had a patent. Francis also provided Indian trinkets and souvenirs, a holdover from his early days as a setup man with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. His son, Francis Porter Wiggin II, became involved in the business around 1936.

Francis’s grandson Richard operates Wiggins Trading Post in Chilcoot, California on Highway 70. Another grandson was the famous football coach Paul Wiggin, of Stanford and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Trading Post in Lathrop closed in 1967. Francis Wiggin Sr. passed away in 1950 and his son in 1987.

http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/

This collection is especially strong in the western states with 4,723 color views of California. Here’s a sample of the building of the second Carquinez bridge in 1957:

http://xrl.us/6xdy

Truckee River’s Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway (paved and unpaved sections) includes sections of the Lincoln Highway, read more from the Sierra Sun:
http://xrl.us/6xet
and at the Bikeway website:
http://www.tpbikeway.org/

From BigMallRat’s Blog – All roads lead to Oakland:
http://xrl.us/6xfo [click on the ad pic to enlarge]

This advertisement of interest is from the H. C. Capwell Company, celebrating the opening of the Carquinez Bridge in May of 1927. The advertisement extols the virtues of the “six great highways” delivering traffic across the new bridge to Oakland; bringing in new shoppers from all over. The six great highways include the Pacific Highway, Redwood Highway, Lincoln Highway…..

Toward the bottom of the Dublin, CA’s Library blog is a picture of the Lincoln Highway and US 50 – “This photograph shows Dublin in about 1940 with the original Lincoln Highway 50 merging with the new Lincoln Highway 50. It is an example of the kind of photograph that will be scanned and digitized as part of new project that the Library and the Dublin Heritage Center are currently engaged in.” The photos will be available on the web through the Calisphere website operated by the University of California. Read more about at the website:
http://dublinlibrary.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/dublin-history-digital-photographs/

Check out Calisphere at:
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/

JoesBigBlog has some nice pictures of the Lincoln Highway bridge railings at:
http://xrl.us/6xkx

Mike Kaelin writes:

Gentlemen, an article in today’s Sunday edition of “The Record” (Stockton) puts a major part of the 1924-1927 Lincoln Highway in jeopardy! The ‘history-challenged’ Stockton City Council is considering approving the “Oakmoore Gateway Specific Plan”, some kind of development which would result in closing off Hwy. 99 access to Wilson Way; it would also make a cul-de-sac at the north end of Newton Road (1924-1927 LH), eliminate that portion of Wilson Way (1924-1927 LH) which connects the southbound Hwy. 99 off-ramp to Newton Road, and would re-align other parts of Wilson Way (not LH) with Maranatha Drive. Comrades and LH consuls, stay tuned on this one, because Monday I will definitely be visiting City Hall in Stockton to get a copy of this ill-advised ‘plan’ and more information!

[Anyone have an update on this?]

Wow – check out the NorCal Explorer’s Blog of Motel Row along US 40 in Sacramento:
http://xrl.us/6yt4

Bear Rescue on the Rainbow Bridge – Donner Summit, from ABC TV, LA [with video]
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=bizarre&id=5680253
and from KNBC with great slideshow [click on pic]
http://www.knbc.com/news/14218253/detail.html