This year marks the centennial of a wealthy Pennsylvanian’s historic, cross-country automobile journey…. The family [of Jacob Murdock] managed to travel from its winter home in Pasadena, Calif., to New York City in a remarkably quick 32 days, 7 hours and 3 minutes.
A plaque in Oregon commemorates the Jefferson Davis Highway, which was announced just one year after the Lincoln Highway.
A corn and bean salad recipe from the Lincoln Highway Cookbook, sold by the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, is the perfect addition to a summer picnic.
The Illinois Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association… is hosting its second annual Lincoln Highway Buy-Way, a yard sale in communities across the state, beginning on Friday, Aug. 8 through Saturday Aug. 9.
Rick Sebak and his crew descend on Woodbine to film for their PBS documentary, set to air in October.
The Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau will participate in the annual Lincoln Highway Yard Sale on Aug. 7 to 9 with more than 250 miles of sales along the Lincoln Highway, U.S. 30, across Ohio.
Elburn will be among the first communities to receive an interpretive mural honoring the village’s contributions to the Lincoln Highway.
People from Omaha, Neb., Sarasota, Fla., Reno, Nev., and even small European countries found common ground last week learning about the history of southwest Wyoming and the route of the historic Lincoln Highway, which meanders through much of Uinta County and northern Utah.
April 30, 2008 Press Release from the Ohio Lincoln Highway League:
The 14th Annual Business Meeting of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League was held on April 26, 2008 at the Elks Hall in Galion, Ohio. The Ohio Lincoln Highway League is the state affiliate of the Lincoln Highway Association, a historical interest group which endeavors to promote and preserve the history of the Lincoln Highway—the first transcontinental automobile route in the United States.
Among the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of the “Exemplary Friend of the Lincoln Highway Award†to the Ohio Department of Transportation. This is an award given by the Lincoln Highway Association to individuals or groups for outstanding contributions to the association’s promotion and preservation efforts. In this case, ODOT was honored for their part in constructing the splendid new Lincoln Highway Bridge at the I-75 interchange with State Route 696 at Beaverdam. The bridge features four large Lincoln Highway logo signs which face four-lane traffic on I-75, and four smaller logo signs set in brick pillar replicas which face traffic on State Route 696—a renumbered roadway (formerly U.S. 30-North) that was once part of the historic Lincoln Highway route. The brick pillars are reminiscent of twenty other pillars which were originally set along the route of the Lincoln Highway during the 1920s.
On hand to accept the etched glass award on behalf of ODOT was Kirk Slusher, P.E. (right), who is the Planning Administration for ODOT District One at Lima. The presentation of the award was officially made by LHA President Jan Shupert-Arick of Fort Wayne, Indiana. At the request of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League, Kirk took a few minutes to discuss the history of the project and explain how transportation enhancement funds became available for this aesthetic bridge. It was then pointed out by members of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League that in their opinion, this award was merited not only for ODOT’s vision regarding this wonderful new bridge, but also for its continuing assistance in such matters as the posting of green interchange signs and brown historic byway signs which help travelers rediscover the route of the Lincoln Highway as it traverses 241 miles across Ohio.
Here are some highlights of Evanston, Wyoming and the surrounding area, courtesy of Mieke Madrid from the City of Evanston. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Church Buttes, a unique rock formation along the old Lincoln Highway east of Evanston
Eagle Rock, also along the old Lincoln Highway east of Evanston
A tunnel built in 1920 east of Evanston
The newly restored Machine Shop, where many conference activities will be held
The newly restored Roundhouse
Historic Depot Square, located on the Lincoln Highway
Sunset Cabins, along Bear River Drive (Lincoln Highway)
A Lincoln Highway concrete marker near Depot Square
And here’s a message from Shelly Horne, the chairman of the 2008 LHA Conference.
Dear Fellow Lincoln Highway Enthusiasts:
This year is a rare opportunity for you to attend an exceptional Lincoln Highway conference without travel costs blowing a head gasket in your budget. Evanston, Wyoming will host this year’s conference. A quaint, interesting, historical town, Evanston is located on the highway just down the road apiece.
The theme of the conference is “Rails, Trails, and Highway Tales.†Evanston was an end of track town on the U.P.R.R. in 1868. It has a rich railroad history and many preserved railroad buildings and artifacts that you will enjoy. It has one of the few remaining original roundhouses west of the Mississippi with an operating turntable. Come ride it. Evanston sits near many of the old trails that people traveled from east to west to expand our great nation. If you like, you can visit the Mormon, Oregon, and California trails as well as the Pony Express route, all within easy driving distance.
And highway tales… we have hundreds of them. The first Wyoming Lincoln Highway consul was P.W. Spaulding from Evanston. He owned the first car in Uinta County, was a successful attorney, and a personal friend of Henry Joy, first president of the Lincoln Highway Association. We will be exhibiting a rare original LHA “Notable Service Award†given to P.W. Spaulding in the early years of the association. We will be giving a replica of this award to every attendee of the conference, a nice watch fob or key ring, and very rare. Hugh Colpharp will display his replica of the ten-millionth Ford Model T at the conference.
You could hardly cross the wide open country of Wyoming or the deserts of Utah without a water bag dangling from your radiator. So we have replicated the desert water bag, complete with cork and rope, as a tote bag for your memorabilia collection at the conference. We love replicas. You will be provided with a special table decoration at the annual banquet, a crystal-like replica of an old antique Packard automobile engraved with the LHA logo. Take it, cherish it, put it in your water bag replica with your LHA medallion.
The tours will be exciting. West in Echo Canyon you will explore Mormon history and learn how the canyon walls were used to defend against Johnson’s army; travel past the “Witches†to Taggart, to Wanship and the Echo reservoir. East to Fort Bridger and the Black and Orange cabins, then on to Miller’s crossing. See an eagles nest high on the bluffs of Church Butte. On the return trip to Evanston, watch film of the original military convoy that crossed the country from Washington, DC to San Francisco on the Lincoln road. See the comments of a young Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower about his experience on the convoy.
The slate of speakers who will be addressing the conference is top notch. They will present a myriad of topics from notable Lincoln Highway people, to Utah highway history, to the 1908 New York-to-Paris Automobile Race. Then as dessert, we will be entertained by Willie Le Clair, Shoshone Indian, with stories of the Shoshone and Chief Washakie in Evanston.
Tour historic Evanston. Visit the Sunset Cabins on the Lincoln Highway. See Evanston’s original Lincoln Highway markers, and meet and visit with your LHA counterparts from across the country to exchange “Highway Tales.†You will be amongst the privileged few to attend and view the first Lincoln Highway Art and Photo show assembled by Ms. Kell Brigan, an LHA member in California.
If gas and airfare prices continue to rise it will become more expensive to attend future conferences. This is the time, this is the place, the 16th annual LHA conference, June 17th to 21st in Evanston, WY. Complete a registration form (visit www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org) by May 2nd to be eligible for a free conference reimbursement drawing. See you here!