Search -
Greetings From The Lincoln Highway: America's First Coast-to Coast Road
Greetings From The Lincoln Highway America's First Coastto Coast Road Author:Brian Butko The Lincoln Highway predates Route 66 by a dozen years, runs a third longer than that famed highway, and crosses the country from Atlantic to Pacific. Now the story of the first coast-to-coast route is told in this grand, eclectic history of the road. Traversing fourteen states from Times Square in New York to Lincoln Park in California, Butko ... more »follows the highway in both space and time, mingling excerpts from the memoirs of cross-country travelers in the early days of the road with perspectives from today's voyagers and his own astute observations. Along the way the story of the highway unfolds, from the spark of an idea in the mind of Prest-O-Lite headlight manufacturing giant Carl Fisher to the formation of an association in 1913 for getting the arduous task of road building afoot, including the resulting disputes over which cities and states the route would pass through. Stories of early adventurers--men and women who traveled the Lincoln in the 1910s and 20s--reveal what early motoring was really like: the good, the bad, and the muddy. In each state you'll visit historic buildings, bridges, taverns, diners, neon movie palaces, Art Deco gas stations, ice cream stands, tourist cabins, and colorful roadside attractions. You'll also meet people from all walks of life, from every era, who have been on the road as travelers, workers, planners, commuters, vacationers, and just plain Sunday drivers enjoying the scenery. Not merely a geographical link, the Lincoln Highway connects us to the past and that part of ourselves that is always seeking the quest. This is the trip you've been waiting for.« less