600 West College Ave.

State College, PA 16801

June 2, 2010

Mrs. Jeanette Novakovich

Professor, English 202C
Burrows Room 256
State College, PA 16801

Dear Mrs. Novakovich,

Today I write to you with excitement about an article which I would love to write for the PA
Center for the Book regarding the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway was the first road to
span the entire United States from New York to California upon its completion in 1913. This
highway holds historical significance for the state of Pennsylvania because it included a very
scenic route through the state; which many old-time travelers argued was the most beautiful
segment of their cross-country road trip. I cordially request your approval to write an article on
the Lincoln Highway by briefly telling you about my qualifications and the research I have done
on the subject, as well as a brief description of the highway itself.

Qualifications and Research

My research of Lincoln Highway was of particular interest to me because I have a personal
interest in transportation. So much so, that I am currently pursuing my bachelors degree in civil
engineering with a focus on transportation. As my current classes teach me how modern day
engineers design and construct roads, I think it would be interesting to take a step back in time,
and analyze how the early engineers designed and built to the first major road across the United
States. I have researched the Lincoln Highway quite extensively by taking advantage of Penn
State’s amazing online databases and Library. Throughout this research I have accumulated 25
fantastic sources regarding Pennsylvania’s segment of the Lincoln Highway. After reading
through online magazine articles, Lincoln Highway traveler’s guides, and several old and rare
books contained in a private section of the Penn State Library, I want to share with you my
findings and illustrate why the Lincoln Highway was an innovative and prideful part in
Pennsylvania’s history.

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

The idea of a road that spanned across the

entire United States was conceived by a man
named Carl Fisher. He was a successful
entrepreneur who had the creativity and
financial ability to suggest building such a
road, even back when this idea seemed
overwhelming. If a person in 1912 wanted to
travel completely across the United States, it
would have taken them between sixty and
ninety days to travel the 3,400 plus mile trip.
Carl Fisher wanted to shorten this traveling
time and make it simpler. He included this
goal among his variety of other innovative
transportation goals. (You probably have
heard about 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 Abraham
Lincoln, thus the Lincoln Highway. Now a
cross country road trip could be comfortably
made in only 30 days.

In the 1920’s book, The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway 3rd Edition,
supporting author H.C. Ostermann advised many excited Americans about what it would take to
make a cross country journey on the Lincoln Highway. Ostermann mentioned that travelers
would have to spend no more than $5.00 per day. This price wasn’t just gas; it included oil, and
everything you would eat for the day too! The Lincoln Highway snaked its way 292.2 miles
though Pennsylvania from Pittsburg to Philadelphia with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour. It
passed close by several tourist attractions that travelers may be interested in taking a break from
driving to visit. Such attractions include Valley Forge or Gettysburg. Today the highway is more
commonly known as Route 30. (Following pictures source: http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/LH/centpenn03.htm)
 their road quality. Brian Butko in
Pennsylvania Traveler’s 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. These
roads such as the Yellowstone Trail, the
William Penn, the Lakes-to-Sea, the
Horseshoe Trail, and the Pikes Peak Ocean-
to-Ocean Highway were quickly formed in
hopes of reaping similar business as the
Lincoln Highway. Instantaneously, the

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

Before the Lincoln Highway was finished, a

cross-continental journey followed mostly
dirt paths in the less traveled areas of the
country. In fact, according to F.H. Trego in
The Complete Official Road Guide of the
Lincoln Highway 3rd Edition there used to be Source: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
seven “trails” which could be taken across
the United States. Such a trail, known as the
Old Salt Lake Trail, is what became known Lincoln Highway was sparking an American
as the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln road revolution, inspiring the construction of
Highway also inspired several smaller trails roads across the country, not just in
throughout the country to begin improving Pennsylvania. Brian Butko further explained
about Pennsylvania, “State maps from the
early 1920’s show almost 50 named
highways”. With support from the State
Highway Department, donations, and an
American sense of adventure,
Pennsylvania’s road system started
booming.

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

Conclusion
The Lincoln Highway is a beautiful and important part of Pennsylvania’s history. It represents
Pennsylvania’s inclusion in America’s first cross country highway, which was a huge step in
mobilizing the country. The highway’s early visionaries display an American vision of dreaming
big and accomplishing great things, and the highway’s travelers display a true American spirit of
adventure. The Lincoln Highway would be a great article for the PA Center for the Book.
Sincerely,

Craig J. Ricketts, Jr.

PA Lincoln Highway: An Annotated Bibliography

1.Butko, Brian. The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide 2 nd

Edition.
Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2002. Print.
• Quality is great for this book! It will definitely be a useful source for writing about the
Lincoln Highway.
• This book describes some of the history of the Lincoln Highway, and its content is
exclusive to Pennsylvania. It also has information about sights along the highway that
travelers may have been interested in back in the early 1900’s all the way to present day.
• This book is very relevant because it talks specifically about the Lincoln Highway in
Pennsylvania. It will be very useful because of its abundant historical content.

1.Butko, Brian. Lincoln Highway Companion: A Guide to Americas First Coast-to-Coast

Road. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2009. Print.
• Quality is pretty good for this book. It should provide some useful information.
• This book talks about the Lincoln Highway across the entire United States, but it has a
section dedicated to Pennsylvania. This section lists the attractions found along the
Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania and talks a little about the highway’s history in
Pennsylvania.
• Relevant because it talks about attractions of the Lincoln Highway and has many full
color maps and photographs displaying historical content. This source will be most useful
for discussing attractions found along the Lincoln highway, present day.

1.Butko, Brian. The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide 1 st

Edition.
Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 1996. Print.
• Quality is great for this book! It will be a great source for writing about the Lincoln
Highway in Pennsylvania.
• This book includes postcards, memorabilia, and old photos of Lincoln Highway. It also
describes the history of the Lincoln Highway, and its content is exclusive to
Pennsylvania. It also has information about sights along the highway that travelers may
have been interested in back in the early 1900’s all the way to present day.
 • Relevant because of the valuable historical information and photographs which are
specifically related to Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania. It will be very useful because of
its abundant historical content.

1. Lincoln Highway Special Resource Study Environmental Assessment. United States

Department of the Interior National Park Service. 2004. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps54621/lihisrsea.pdf> or
<http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS54621>.

• Quality is good for this source.

• This online source talks about the history of the Lincoln highway, about its National
significance, and about the environmental assessment of the highway on the land.
• Relevant because compiles an abundance of information of the Lincoln highway in
general, but including a section on Pennsylvania. The highway’s historical significance
and environmental sections will be useful for my essay.

1. Young. Lincoln Highway Study Act of 1999 [microform] : report (to accompany H.R.
2570) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office) United States.
Congress. House. Committee on Resources. U.S. G.P.O. 2000. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS7384>.

• Quality is decent for this source.

• This source talks about preservation options for the Lincoln Highway and provides a very
brief historical analysis.
• Relevant because it provides evidence that the Lincoln Highway is a valued and historical
national highway and efforts are being made to preserve it.

1. Bruce, Robert. The Lincoln highway in Pennsylvania. American Automobile

Association, 1920. Print. (((Waiting on Pattee Library for pickup)))

• Quality is average for this source.

• This book talks about traversing the Lincoln Highway from a driver’s perspective and the
hardships that are faced.
• Relevant because the quality of the highway was improved throughout the years as
people identified the road as a valuable thing to have and fund for improvement.

1. The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway 3rd Edition. Michigan:
Lincoln Highway Association, 1920. Print.

• Quality is good for this source.

 • This book talks about how the Lincoln Highway has made cross-country travel so much
quicker, safer, and easier. It also mentions some old tourist attractions and sights that
existed back in the early 1920’s.
• Relevant because this is such an old and rare book source. It is interesting because it
shows the excitement of people and captures the enthusiasm of Americans as the nation
became more mobile.

1. The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway 4thEdition. Michigan: Lincoln
Highway Association, 1921. Print.

• Quality is good for this source.

• This book talks about how the Lincoln Highway has made cross-country travel so much
quicker, safer, and easier. It also mentions some old tourist attractions and sights that
existed back in the early 1920’s.
• Relevant because this is such an old and rare book source. It is interesting because it
shows the excitement of people and captures the enthusiasm of Americans as the nation
became more mobile.

1. The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway 5th Edition. Michigan: Lincoln
Highway Association, 1924. Print.

• Quality is good for this source.

• This book talks about how the Lincoln Highway has made cross-country travel so much
quicker, safer, and easier. It also mentions some old tourist attractions and sights that
existed back in the early 1920’s.
• Relevant because this is such an old and rare book source. It is interesting because it
shows the excitement of people and captures the enthusiasm of Americans as the nation
became more mobile.

1. Dodd, Mead & company. The Lincoln highway: the story of a crusade that made
transportation history. Lincoln Highway Association. Vail-Ballou Press, Inc. New York,
1935. Print.

• Quality is great for this source!

• This old, historical book printed in 1935 talks about the national enthusiasm over the
Lincoln Highway, how the road was organized, how and why the highway was built, as
well as developments and improvements made to the highway.
• Relevant because all of this information will be very useful in writing my article so that
readers will be interested.
1. Wallis, Michael. The Lincoln Highway : coast to coast from Times Square to the Golden
Gate. W.W. Norton & Company. Print.

• Quality is average for this source. (((Waiting on Pattee Library for pickup)))
• This book talks about roadside attractions along the Lincoln Highway and has rare and
interesting photographs of the highway’s history.
• Relevant because readers may be interested in the roadside attractions and historical
content of the Lincoln Highway.

1. Butko, Brian. Greetings from the Lincoln Highway : America's first coast-to-coast road.
Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2005. Print.

• Quality is average for this source. (((Waiting on Pattee Library for pickup)))
• This book talks about Carl Fisher and his vision of creating America’s first highway
across the United States.
• Relevant because Carl Fisher will undoubtedly be a topic I will want to discuss in my
article.

1. Hokanson, Drake. The Lincoln Highway: main street across America. Iowa: University of
Iowa Press, 1999. e-book. <http://www.netlibrary.com/Reader/>. (*copy and paste
title in website to view eBook)

• Quality is good for this source.

• This book talks about the quality of the early Lincoln Highway and the solutions to
paving a highway around the American geography.
• Relevant because the geography plays a large role in highway construction and I think
this is a subject I would like to include when developing my article because it shows the
hardships involved in building such a road.

1. Kutz, Kevin, Brian Butko, and Mary Thomas. Kevin Kutz's Lincoln highway.
Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2006. Print.

• Quality is great for this picture source.

• This book is a compilation of Kevin Kutz’s paintings and drawings of the Lincoln
Highway.
• Relevant because Kevin Kutz’s paintings and drawings provide interesting images that
could be used in my article.

1. The Lincoln Highway Association. Celebrating the First Road across America. 2010. Web.
20 May 2010. <http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/>.

• Quality is good for this source.

 • This website talks about particular highlights of the Lincoln Highway and includes state
maps and street maps as well as artist and photographer photographs.
• Relevant because the maps and photographs could be used in my article.

1. Lincoln Highway Home Page. 1998. Web. 20 May 2010.

<http://lincolnhighway.jameslin.name/by_state/pa.html>.

• Quality is average for this source.

• This website gives maps of the 1924 Lincoln Highway across Pennsylvania.
• Relevant because it contains detailed map images of the Lincoln Highway through
Pennsylvania.

1. The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.lhhc.org/>.

• Quality is average for this source.
• This website advertises bus trips along the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania as a tour
from Schellsburg to Gettysburg. It also has information about the Highway including
current tour pamphlets and gift shop items.
• Relevant because the readers may be interested in tours so they can see the Lincoln
Highway as it is today.

1. Funk, Richard. Along Pennsylvania's Lincoln Highway. California: Arcadia Publishing,

2006. e-book. <http://books.google.com/books?
id=Q_3h0VTVcsIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Along+Pennsylvania's+Linco
ln+Highway&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

• Quality is good for this source.

• This e-book talks about the primitive conditions of the road surface and the roads design,
which was never designed as a whole.
• Relevant because discussing the poor conditions of the road initially can show how the
road has improved throughout the years and how road design has been improved to
incorporate the entire project.

1.Faris, John. Seeing Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania: J. B. Lippincott Company at the Washington

Square Press, 1919. e-book. <http://books.google.com/books?
id=PlYMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA22&dq=Along+Pennsylvania's+Lincoln+Highway&cd=2#v=
onepage&q&f=false>.
• Quality is average for this source.
• This book talks briefly about the Lincoln Highway’s beautiful scenery and road quality.
• Relevant because it identifies areas of particular interest for people who enjoyed scenic
views in Pennsylvania along the highway.
1.Mandak, Joe. “Pa. unveils roadside museum for nation's first transcontinental highway.” The
Associated Press. 6 August 2004. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 20 May 2010.
• Quality is good for this online source.
• This source talks about all sorts of historical markers and exhibits dedicated to the
Lincoln Highway. Subjects discussed include the first woman to make a cross-country
car trip and Carl Fisher’s bicycle selling career before becoming the visionary of the
Lincoln Highway.
• Relevant because it can provide readers information about where they can find Lincoln
Highway displays.

1.Carl G. Fisher. Library of Congress. 1909. Web. 20 May 2010.

<http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003653845/?
sid=0bb4529381782bd6e0e528e343a65522>.
• Quality is great for this photograph.
• This is a photograph of Carl G. Fisher.
• Relevant because he was the primary visionary of the Lincoln Highway.

1. McCarthy, Joe. “The Lincoln Highway.” American Heritage Magazine. Volume 25, Issue 4.
June. 1974. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1974/4/1974_4_
32.shtml>.

• Quality is good for this online magazine source.

• This source talks about Carl Fisher who was the primary visionary of the Lincoln
Highway. Fisher wanted to dedicate the Highway to Abraham Lincoln. It also talks about
problems that arose during the highway’s construction.
• Relevant because Carl Fisher’s name is very closely associated with the Lincoln
Highway. The information given about him will be useful for explaining how the Lincoln
Highway was originally conceived.

1. The Lincoln Highway Tuscarora Summit to Rays Hill. Lincoln Highway Home Page. Web.
20 May 2010. <http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/LH/centpenn03.htm>.

• Quality is good for this online photo resource.

• This website has several historical photographs of the Lincoln Highway.
• Relevant because the historical photographs may fit into my article for visual support.

1. The Library of Congress American Memory. Lincoln Highway. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query>.
 • Quality is good for this online photo resource.
• This website has tons of historical photographs of the Lincoln Highway.
• Relevant because the historical photographs may fit into my article for visual support.

1. Chan, Sewell. “A Lincoln Highway Marker in Times Square.” The New York Times, 12
February 2009. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/a-lincoln-highway-
marker-in-times-square/>.

• Quality is average for this online newspaper source.

• This source talks about the highway as a memorial to Lincoln and how even on the 200th
anniversary of Lincoln’s birthday, the Lincoln Highway is still honoring his name with a
marker in Times Square, New York.
• Relevant because the Lincoln Highway is still being recognized today as a significant
part of our nation’s history.