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The Fast and Furious Road to

Transportation Development: The Lincoln Highway

By: Craig J. Ricketts, Jr.

In the early 1900s, the Lincoln Highway spurred on such a speedy revolution of road buildingthat Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner would have had a hard time keeping up with it. TheLincoln Highway was the first road of its kind; a road that spanned across the entire continentalUnited States from New York to California. Upon its completion in 1913, the Lincoln Highwaywinded its way through thirteen states, the most beautiful of which was commonly believed to beour state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania was home to 292.2 miles of the Lincoln Highway which took travelers from

Pittsburg to Philadelphia at a cautious speed limit of 25 miles per hour; and that was driving inthe fast lane! Drivers were able to enjoy beautiful scenery of the Allegheny Mountains andfantastic views from atop high elevations while on the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania. This isa road that has truly withstood the test of time and is known today as Route 30, but how did it getstarted?

The idea of a road that spanned across the entire United States was conceived by a man namedCarl Fisher. Carl Fisher was kind of a big deal. He was a successful entrepreneur who had thecreativity and financial ability to suggest building such a road, even back when this idea seemed

overwhelming. Before the Lincoln Highway existed, if a person wanted to travel completelyacross the United States, it would have taken them between sixty and ninety days to travel the3,400 plus mile trip. It would have been a complicated and difficult trip to make with weatherplaying a large role in making many dirt paths too muddy to travel on. Planning would befrustrating and travel would be very costly to make a cross-country trip before the LincolnHighway was around.

Carl Fisher wanted to shorten the cross-country traveling time and make it simpler. He includedthis goal among his variety of other innovative transportation goals. (You probably have heardabout the popular Indianapolis Speedway, well this was also conceived by Carl Fisher.) This

cross-continental highway was completed in 1913 and dedicated to former President AbrahamLincoln, thus the Lincoln Highway. Now a cross country road trip could be comfortably made inonly 30 days.

Before the Lincoln Highway was finished, a cross-continental journey followed mostly dirt pathsin the less traveled areas of the country. In fact, according to F.H. Trego in The Complete

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Official RoadGuide ofthe Lincoln Highway 3rd

Edition there used to be seven trails whichcould be taken across the United States. Such a trail, known as the Old Salt Lake Trail, is whatbecame known as the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway also inspired several smallertrails throughout the country to begin improving their road quality. Brian Butko inPennsylvaniaTravelers Guide: The Lincoln Highway, mentioned that several other Pennsylvanian roads

began to form once they saw the popularity and economic benefits of the Lincoln Highway. Anabundance of these roads such as the Yellowstone Trail, the William Penn, the Lakes-to-Sea, theHorseshoe Trail, and the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway were quickly formed in hopes ofreaping similar business as the Lincoln Highway.

Instantaneously, the Lincoln Highway was sparking an American road revolution, inspiring theconstruction of roads across the country, including Pennsylvania. Brian Butko further explainedabout Pennsylvania, State maps from the early 1920s show almost 50 named highways. Thismeans that since the Lincoln Highways birth in 1913, almost 50 more named highways poppedup within the next 7 years alone! With support from the State Highway Department, donations,

and an American sense of adventure, Pennsylvanias road system started booming. The successof the Lincoln Highway would be unmatched by attempts of imitators. The Lincoln Highway hadits own distinguishing L symbol which was found all along its length to keep drivers on track.There were countless travelers guides written for the Lincoln Highway encouraging travel, aswell as an abundance of Lincoln Highway memorabilia.

In the 1920s book, The Complete Official RoadGuide ofthe Lincoln Highway 3rd Edition,supporting author H.C. Ostermann advised many excited Americans about what it would take tomake a cross country journey on the Lincoln Highway. Ostermann mentioned that travelerswould have to spend no more than $5.00 per day. This price wasnt just gas; it included oil, andeverything you would eat for the day too! The Lincoln Highway passed close by several touristattractions that travelers may be interested in taking a break from driving to visit. Suchattractions include Valley Forge and Gettysburg.

The Lincoln Highway is a beautiful and important part of Pennsylvanias history. It representsPennsylvanias contribution to Americas first cross country highway, which was a huge step inmotivating the country to build more highways and roads. The Lincoln Highway helped peoplerealize the economic and social benefits a more complex transportation system provides. Thehighways early visionaries display an American vision of dreaming big and accomplishing great

things, and the highways travelers display a true American spirit of adventure. This highwayholds historical significance for the state of Pennsylvania because it included a very scenic routethrough the state; which many old-time travelers argued was the most beautiful segment of theircross-country road trip. The Lincoln Highway was an innovative and prideful part inPennsylvanias history.

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Possible Photos I will use (Caption-making in progress)

Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003653845

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Source (For last 2 photographs): http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/LH/centpenn03.htm

Source: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

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Source: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Source: www.lincolnhighway.com/2005%20Conference.htm

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