Down the Lincoln Highway

A marker on the Lincoln Hwy. 10/11/26 dwm

 The Lincoln Highway took the name of the nation's 16th President when it was built in 1913 from coast to coast, going through 13 states from New York City to San Francisco.

 

 The other name for this road was the Main Street of America back when two-lane highways went through communities instead of passing around the city like the Interstate does now.

 

 The road was a promotion to get folks with their new cars to get on the open-road, and the promoters used it to advocate for a hard-surface route that would be faster and easier to drive.

L Avenue intersects 6th St. 10/11/26 dwm

 

Towns like Nevada (pronounced nuh-VAY-duh, rhymes with data) embraces the Lincoln Highway and tourists, like us, who wanted a taste of travel in the 'old days.'

When my dad and I took trips around the Midwest, we spent more time on roads like the Lincoln Highway. I recall spending time on U.S. Highway 6 when we crossed Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska during the 1970s.

 

I was around 9 when we started driving to state capitals and as we looked for places to spend the night. My dad liked to suggest tourist hotels instead of roadside motels that didn't share a roof with a family that lived there.

 

A restored roadside gas station in Colo, IA. 10/11/26 dwm

 Colo, Iowa was the next town down the road and they embraced the highway and its history with an old-school gas station, cafe, and motel that would fit a movie set in the 1920s.

 The front of the cafe is restored to what it looked like in the 1940s. The motel was built in 1948, when you could get a room for $2.50 a night. 

 

 If you pull off the road and walk around a few minutes, there are historical markers and shelves with the items a motorist might need for a long drive.

 

State Center's Rose Garden. 10/11/26 dwm

Further east, State Center grabs attention with it's nickname, The Rose Capital of Iowa. We visited October 11 and I was surprised how many roses were still blooming. The Garden was started in the 1950s to attract travelers to the geographical center of the state.

 

If the roses look this good in October, I can just imagine how spectacular the garden is during the annual Rose Festival on the third weekend of June.

 

Tama, Iowa was our last stop on the Lincoln Highway. When it was built in 1915, the designers incorporated the road's name into the bridge itself. The photo, below,  gives you an idea how it looked during its hey-day.