Join us for the 2022 LHA Annual Conference, June 20th to 24th, in Joliet, Illinois.

The Rialto Square Theatre

After a couple of years on hiatus due to Covid, our annual LHA conference is back! The conference will start on Monday, June 20. The host hotel will be the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center, just off the Lincoln Highway and close to Interstate 80. The nite of June 20 will kick off with an opening banquet followed by a bus tour the next day with a lunch stop and pipe organ concert at the gorgeous Rialto Square Theatre in the heart of Joliet, considered one of the ten most beautiful theaters in the United States and a photo stop at the Building the Lincoln Highway statue on the border of Joliet and Crest Hill. 

The Garfield Farm and Museum

Another tour will include a stop at the Garfield Farm and Inn Museum, an 1840s era farm, and a stagecoach stop. For a significant find in the middle of farm country, experience authentic Italian food in a stunning banquet hall featuring hand-painted décor for the Wednesday West Bus Tour. There will be a popular request tour of the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb on the West Tour. The Egyptian Theatre underwent a major restoration and expansion in recent years and has air conditioning. The West Tour will be a golden opportunity to visit the LHA Headquarters in the H.I. Lincoln Building in Franklin Grove to see the recent renovations.

Inside the National Headquarters in Franklin Grove.

The conference finishes on June 24 with Speakers Day, which will feature native Joliet resident Dennis Doyle speaking on the Lincoln Highway and James R. Wright, a lifelong resident of Homewood, Illinois, who will give a history of the Dixie Highway in Illinois. The activities on Speakers’ Day will conclude Thursday evening with the ever-popular Awards Banquet.

We hope to see you soon, in person, in Joliet!

Visit the Illinois Lincoln Highway Association page for booking and other information.

California Chapter meeting on Sat 7/13 — Register by 6/14

Summer 2019 California Chapter Meeting
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Registration required by June 14 — Limit 50 people

The Rainbow Lodge
50080 Hampshire Rocks Road
Soda Springs, CA 95728
(530) 562-5060
Google Map

The California Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association will hold our summer meeting at the beautifully historic Rainbow Lodge on the old Lincoln Highway in the scenic Sierra Nevada Mountains. The chapter has rented the lodge for the day!

The lodge, originally called the Rainbow Tavern and Trout Farm, was built in 1927 and opened to the traveling public all year round. It is nestled in the forest of the Sierra Nevadas on a scenic portion of the Lincoln Highway, overlooking the Yuba River.

We will have a barbecue lunch out in the back patio with a view of the river, and hold the meeting and presentation inside in the Presentation Room after lunch.

We are limited to fifty (50) participants, so to attend, you will need to mail a payment for $35 per person, postmarked by June 14. The fee covers the lunch and a share of the lodge rental cost for the day.

Schedule

  • 10:00 am — Meet and greet
    • Enjoy the beautiful Sierra Nevada surroundings and the historic Rainbow Lodge itself.
  • 11:30 am — Barbecue lunch
    • Served on the deck (or in Yuba Room if weather does not allow outdoor seating)
    • Menu:
      • Beef hamburgers served with all the fixings, including lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions and cheese, served with potato chips
      • Knockwurst and bratwurst
      • Veggie burgers (must be requested in advance)
      • Homemade potato salad and cole slaw
      • Fresh watermelon for dessert
      • Sodas, coffee, tea
      • No liquor or beer will be served
  • 1:00 pm — Meeting
  • 3:00 pm — Presentation
    • Donner History Along the Lincoln Highway

Reservations

This meeting will be popular, so reserve your spot as soon as possible. Please mail the following information:

  • Names of each participant in your party
  • Mailing address
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Whether you want a veggie burger instead of a hamburger
  • A check payable to Lincoln Highway California Chapter, in the amount of $35 for each participant in your party

Mail info and checks postmarked by June 14, 2019 to:

Lincoln Highway California Chapter
1136 Capri Drive
Campbell, CA 95008-6007

Downloadable meeting flyer

We hope to see you in the Sierras on July 13!

Neil A. Rodrigues, LHA California Director
Neil_Rodrigues@yahoo.com


Rainbow Lodge History
by the Donner Summit Historical Society

Rainbow Tavern, as it was then known, was built in 1927 by Herstle Jones who also built Nyack Lodge. He was the brother of Oscar Jones who built the Soda Springs Hotel. Rainbow Lodge served as a way stop for summer travelers over the Sierra Nevada mountains offering meals, rooms, and cabins as well as a trout farm. Visitors could catch their fish and have the dining hall prepare them for supper. Once Old Highway 40 (the Lincoln Highway) was plowed in the winter, Rainbow Tavern became a winter destination and way station as well. A rope tow was built out back and skiers were welcomed. Later, skiers who were more adventurous were taken up to the Sugar Bowl ski area. There were also two gas stations located at the Rainbow Tavern for needy travelers.

 

California Chapter meeting on Sat 4/6

Spring 2019 California Chapter Meeting
Saturday, April 6, 2019
12:00 noon
Open to the public

Woodbridge Crossing
18939 N Lower Sacramento Rd
Woodbridge, CA 95258
(209) 366-1800
Google Map

Lunch at 12:00 noon ($20 cash preferred)
Sandwiches, salads, and soups

Meeting at 1:00 pm

  • Officer and committee reports
  • Updates:
    • Website
    • Brochures
    • 2019 Conference
    • 150th anniversary of Transcontinental Railroad

Presentations

  • Neil Rodrigues: Cold winter motorcycle ride to Duarte Garage
  • Trey Pitsenberger — Adventures in California History: Lincoln Highway tour