Author: Russell Rein

Reprocessing the Association’s archives

Posted on by Russell Rein

Kathleen Dow, of the Special Collection Library at the University of Michigan, which holds the archives of the original Lincoln Highway Association writes:

In addition to the completion of the Digital Image Archive, I also wanted to let you all know that I received a small grant (donated by a local businessman) to hire an archivist to re-process/re-house the papers of the Lincoln Highway Association.

As those of you who have used the 4 linear feet of correspondence, minutes, printed ephemera, and newsletters know, the papers definitely needed some attention. I’ve hired a UM grad student and she has started working on the archive; one of the first things she is doing is removing all of the acidic sheets of glassine that were interleaved between the documents. Not only will we end up with the papers more comfortably housed, but we will also have a finding aid or guide to the boxes. We will be able to mount this document on the web, which will be a great help to all of you conducting research. I will keep you posted as to the progress of the project.

Military Vehicle Preservation Association convoy

Posted on by Russell Rein

The Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) will be sponsoring a 2009 Transcontinental Convoy to commemorate the 1919 Army Convoy on the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) is partnering with the MVPA to provide assistance with this venture. You can read more about it at their website:

http://www.mvpaconvoy.org/

Lincoln Highway Postcards

Posted on by Russell Rein

In late August and early September 2007, WQED producer Rick Sebak, intrepid cameraman Bob Lubomski and the multi-talented Jarrett Buba are gathering material for a new PBS [TV] program on the history and enduring charms of America’s first transcontinental paved highway. Its working title is A RIDE ALONG THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY.

From the blog Lincoln Highway Postcards:

http://www.wqed.org/tv/natl/lincoln_hwy/blog/archives/4

[You navigate chronologically through this blog by clicking the underlined links with the arrows under the bridge pic]

Rick Sebak is a popular producer of public TV documentaries including ones on Pennsylvania Diners, sandwiches and ice cream. You can read more about Rick at the WQED Pittsburgh web site:

http://www.wqed.org/tv/pghist/sebak.shtml

Newsletter · Volume 21: eBay Auctions

Posted on by Russell Rein

A printed postcard of the cross country Walking Woolfs arriving in New York City brought $50.89:
http://xrl.us/2tw2
as did another of their meeting with Chief Whitehorse in OK:
http://xrl.us/2tw4

A 1926 photo archive of the building of the Carquinez bridge closed at $276.89:
http://xrl.us/2tw6

A 16′ neon cowboy sign from the Western Bar and Grill from North Platte, NE brought $2,550:
http://xrl.us/2tw8

A 1920 Lincoln Highway Association membership package with a card and Picture of Progress booklet, as excessed by the Library of Congress brought $78.60:
http://xrl.us/2txa

A nice shield-shaped embossed steel US 31 highway sign attracted 16 bids and closed at $828.81:
http://xrl.us/2txc

A map card of the Victory highway from Kansas City to Manhattan, KS closed at $54.99:
http://xrl.us/2txe

A Michigan US 12 shield-shaped highway sign was popular with 13 bids, and closed at $565.83:
http://xrl.us/2txi

I purchased what was advertised as a 1914 Lincoln Highway Association brochure for $30.70. It turned out to be the cover for a map, but without the map. Oh well……
http://xrl.us/2txn

A copy of National Old Trails Road: The Great Historic Highway of America by Judge J.M. Lowe, 1925, National Old Trails Association, and signed by Harry Truman, only attracted one bid but sold at $625:
http://xrl.us/2txp

A ’60s era pamphlet on the history of the Nut Tree Restaurant in Vacaville, CA surprisingly brought 16 bids and closed at $47.87:
http://xrl.us/2txt

A shield-shaped US 50 City Route yellow porcelain sign with a lot of chipping closed at $255:
http://xrl.us/2txx

A scarce printed postcard of the Lincoln Diner on SR 25 and US 1 in New Brunswick, NJ closed at $106:
http://xrl.us/2txz

A very scarce printed postcard of the Lincoln Hotel west of Bedford, PA brought $56.99:
http://xrl.us/2tx7

A nice printed black and white postcard of Lincolnway looking east in McConnelsburg, PA brought $33.99:
http://xrl.us/2tyf

A 1915 real photo postcard of a brick plant in Wooster, OH closed at $73.57:
http://xrl.us/2tyh

This lot consisted of a label from a box of Lincoln Highway matches, and from a case of boxes, from Sweden!
http://xrl.us/2tyj

A color printed postcard of the Victoria Hotel from Chicago Heights, IL closed at $36.53:
http://xrl.us/2tym

A very nice condition Texaco folded road map of the Lincoln Highway brought $95.55:
http://xrl.us/2tyo

Another one of those Lincoln Highway Garage signs from Rawlins which regularly, and suspiciously, show up every few months closed at $142.50:
http://xrl.us/2tyu

A 1925 set of 66 map cards of the National Old Trails Road from the Southern California Auto Clubbrought $381.76:
http://xrl.us/2ty2

The ever-popular Staffordshire color souvenir plate from the Grand View Ship Hotel closed at $100.99:
http://xrl.us/2ty4

A ’30s Powerine road map of Colorado and Denver attracted a lot of interest, and brought $131.39:
http://xrl.us/2ty8

A souvenir folder of the Story Book Forest on the Lincoln Highway in Ligonier, PA brought $23.50:
http://xrl.us/2tza

A vintage porcelain highway sign of the National Old Trails Road Association closed at $1,834.99:
http://xrl.us/2tzc

A Bill’s Place – Lincoln Highway souvenir pillow case from PA brought $31.30:
http://xrl.us/2tzg

An unusual black and white highway sign for US 99 with reflector marbles closed at $710:
http://xrl.us/2tzk

A 1926 Field & Stream Camper on Tour road map closed at $57.78:
http://xrl.us/2tzn

A Motor Camper and Tourist magazine from 1924 was popular and closed at $82.99
http://xrl.us/2tzp
another one from 1925 closed at $32.96:
http://xrl.us/2tzt

A real photo postcard of Minick’s Place, Top of Bald Knob Mt., 20 Miles West of Bedford, PA brought $103.50:
http://xrl.us/2tzv

Newsletter · Volume 21: More general news

Posted on by Russell Rein

The Museum of Bus Transportation is located in Hershey, PA:
http://www.busmuseum.org/

Mary Beth Temple, a freelance writer out of New York City has a new book out: Driving the National Road in Indiana:
http://www.drivingthenationalroadinindiana.com/

The Federal Highway Administration maintains a bibliography of Highway History at:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/bibrecnt.htm

Another transcontinentalist – 65 year old bicyclist Bob Lee is riding across the country for cancer awareness. His blog is at:
http://www.3reasons.org/

Baja Desert racing blog has an interesting article about early desert auto racing from 1908:
http://xrl.us/2tce

Jeff Shank has a new website featuring many views of the mid- century roadside at:
http://retro-matic.com

From the Post Gazette.com, Despite the Internet, nothing beats a map:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07147/788843-243.stm

National Route 66 Organization proposed, from Ron Warnick’s Route 66 blog:
http://xrl.us/2tf6

Newsletter · Volume 21: Traveling

Posted on by Russell Rein

Wayne Senville has a new blog about his US 50 travels. Check the recent Carson City, and Ely NV stories at:
http://www.rte50.com/

Here’s a story about a 1915 1,000 mile durability run by a Wallis cub tractor on the Lincoln Highway, by Dan Whalen, from Dick &Shirley Carroll’s Massey Harris and Wallis Tractor collecting website:
http://massey-harris.com/measuringstickp8.htm

Peter Findlay, from Burnaby, British Columbia sends a query:

Hello. Last week, while on a trip from Cedar Rapids to Chicago, I had a very interesting visit at the headquarters in Franklin Grove. The folks there were very informative and helpful.

I have an interest in the old highway for two reasons: First, in 1997 my father and I drove his 1912 REO across Canada, re-creating the first trans-Canada Auto trip. Here is a link to our website about that trip:
http://wolfe.vsb.bc.ca/autotour

It was on this trip that I caught “the bug” for researching and travelling original highways.

Second, I am seeking information on a 1913 Motorcycle trip that followed the Lincoln Highway route. The rider’s name was Carl Stearns (Stevens?) Clancy and he was completing the first ever around the world motorcycle trip. If you have any contacts who may have information about this trip, I’d like to hear about them. It is my dream to re-create this trip on my own 1913 Henderson motorcycle in 2013. Perhaps it could be a part of the Lincoln Highway centennial celebrations.

Here is a link to my page seeking info about Clancy’s trip:

http://duetsoftware.ca/pf/clancy

Thanks again for the help of your organization. We enjoyed our visit to Iowa and Illinois and will be returning – hopefully with my 1913 Henderson motorcycle!

Check out Todd Harley’s blog with pics of old restored gas stations:
http://groups.msn.com/ToddsHarleyPix/oldgasstations.msnw

Newsletter · Volume 21: Illinois markers

Posted on by Russell Rein

Longtime LHA member and author Lowell Nissley writes:

“Thanks for all your hard work in keeping us informed on what’s happening along the LH. In the last issue of the FORUM I noticed an article on Illinois markers (page 43). The article says that the markers were “Designed by the Jensen Corporation, a landscape architect firm in Ravinia, Illinois.” Does this give a legitimate clue as to who made and where the posts were made?

Here’s my thoughts:

The Jensen Corporation is undoubtedly Jen Jensen, the noted Prairie – Arts & Crafts style landscape architect, who was previously associated with the Lincoln Highway Assoc. at least back to 1917. Jensen’s papers were destroyed in a fire, but his drawings and blueprints were saved and donated to the Bentley Historical Library which is located on the North Campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. See:
http://xrl.us/vn7r and
http://bentley.umich.edu/

Among his drawing are two large (approx. 2 ft × 6 ft) suggested plantings for the Lincoln Highway along a meadow, and along a prairie, from 1917. There is also a complete set of blueprints of the Ideal Section (from the Fed Hwy Admin), plus many Ideal Section drawings including those for the Ostermann Memorial bench, and plans and drawings for the unrealized Ideal Section Campground. The U of M Special Collections Library also has a nice matted and framed colored drawing of the Ideal Section Campground that was part of the LHA holdings. Alas, the Jensen holdings have no mention of the concrete markers. Also at the Bentley are the archives of Henry Joy, including his photo albums of his 1915 LH trip.

In the LHA holdings at U of M’s Special Collections’ LHA Holding is a “marker” file. In it was only a small blueprint of a rough drawing of a top part of a marker.

The secret to finding out where the markers were made may be in the papers of the Whitehead & Hoag Company who made the bronze Lincoln medallion inserts. They were located in Newark, may have went out of business in 1959, and the location of their papers, if they still exist, is unknown.

Lowell’s book Lincoln Highway, The Road My Father Traveled won an award from the Independent Publishers Book Review in the travel category.

Newsletter · Volume 21: Nevada

Posted on by Russell Rein

An article about the rededication of the Lincoln and Victory highways in the Wendover, NV area. Hats off to Rollin Southwell for his support for this effort:
http://www.financevisor.com/market/news_detail.aspx?rid=55922
and:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb534147.htm

The Reno Arch from the mylifeinreno blog:
http://mylifeinreno.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/the-reno-arch/

An interesting blog about the McGill NV clubhouse by the current owner:
http://mcgillclubhouse.com/

Newsletter · Volume 21: Wyoming

Posted on by Russell Rein

The Historic Wallis Ranch, north of Saratoga, WY including part of an early Lincoln Highway alignment, is for sale. Checkout the pictures on this PDF. If you need 16,000+ acres and have 4.5 million dollars then this place may be for you:
http://www.century21cornerstone.com/pdf/wallis_ranch.pdf

Former LHA President Chris Plummer writes, “Did you know the Hollywood movie World’s Fastest Indian contains several scenes filmed along the Lincoln Highway in Echo Canyon, Utah.”

[Let’s compile a list of songs, novels, stories, radio shows, TV shows and movies that are about or take place on the Lincoln Highway. E-mail these to me and I will compile a list and post it on the web.]

Ames Monument page from the Waymarks, “Pyramids” site:
http://xrl.us/2tdq

From the Jackson Hole Star Tribune – Discover Rawlins:
http://xrl.us/2tfy

Newsletter · Volume 21: Nebraska

Posted on by Russell Rein

Shelton, NE celebrates 10 years of Lincoln Highway Festivals [thanks to Bob and Lenore Stubblefield]:
http://xrl.us/2tbb

Glenn Wells of yahoo’s roadsidefans Group reports, “Fremont, Nebraska has a new diner, Penny’s Diner, and it’s even open 24 hours. From the photograph, it appears to be a Starlite. The diner is located north of East 23rd Street near Wal-Mart.”

The historic Pawnee Hotel in North Platte, NE was sold in May at a sheriff’s auction:
http://xrl.us/2td6

From the Omaha World-Herald, a Sutherland, NE couple buy their own Valentine diner:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10060437