The Fast and Furious Road to

Transportation Progress
By Craig Ricketts, Jr. Summer 2010

n the early 1900’s, the Lincoln Highway spurred on such a speedy

revolution of road building that Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
would have had a hard time keeping up with it. The Lincoln Highway
was the first road of its kind; a road that spanned the entire continental
United States from New York to California. Upon its completion in
1913, the Lincoln Highway winded its way through thirteen states, the
most beautiful of which was commonly believed to be Pennsylvania.

The Lincoln Highway

stretched for 292.2 miles
through Pennsylvania and
took travelers from
Pittsburg to Philadelphia
at a cautious speed limit of
25 miles per hour; and
they didn’t have a fast
lane! Fortunately, drivers
were able to enjoy
beautiful scenery from
atop high elevations such
as the Allegheny Lincolnhighwayassoc.org
Mountains. While The blue line on this Pennsylvania map shows the original 1913
contributing to one of the route of the Lincoln Highway through the state, now most of Route 30.
first Lincoln Highway road
guides published in 1920, Frank B. McClain reflected on the Allegheny Mountains
segment in Pennsylvania, “This section of the Lincoln Highway is one of the most
scenic drives to be found in the state of Pennsylvania or the entire east coast.” This
was an opinion shared by many and one that contributed to the Lincoln Highway’s
appeal to adventurers wealthy enough to own an automobile. The Lincoln Highway
still exists today as Route 30, but how did it get started?

The idea of a road that spanned across the entire United States was conceived by a
man named Carl Fisher. In the early 1900’s, Carl Fisher was a big deal in the
country’s automotive industry. 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. Carl Fisher is also known for other popular ideas such
as the Indianapolis Speedway.

Before the Lincoln Highway existed, if a

person wanted to travel from coast to
coast across the United States, it would
have taken them between sixty and ninety
days to finish the 3,400 mile journey. Carl
Fisher wanted to shorten this cross-
country traveling time and make it
simpler. His 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.

Pre Lincoln Highway travel included dirt

paths in many areas of the country. Travel
was difficult and timely because rainy
weather caused many of the dirt paths to
become too muddy to travel on.
According to F.H. Trego in The Complete
loc.gov Official Road Guide of the Lincoln
A photograph of the young and aspiring Carl Highway 3rd Edition, there used to be
Fisher. seven “trails” which could be taken across
the United States. One of those trails,

known as the Old Salt Lake Trail, is what evolved into the Lincoln Highway. The
Lincoln Highway also inspired several smaller trails throughout the country to
begin improving their road quality. In the book, Pennsylvania Traveler’s Guide:
The Lincoln Highway, author Brian Butko mentioned that several other
Pennsylvanian roads began to form once they saw the popularity and economic
benefits of the Lincoln Highway. An abundance of 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, quickly sprung-up in hopes of reaping
similar business as the Lincoln Highway.
Instantaneously, the Lincoln Highway
sparked an American road revolution,
inspiring the construction of roads
across the country, including in
Pennsylvania. Brian Butko further
explained about Pennsylvania, “State
maps from the early 1920’s show
almost 50 named highways”. This
means that since the Lincoln
Highway’s birth in 1913, almost 50
more named highways popped up
within the next 7 years alone! With
support from the State Highway
Department, donations, and an
American sense of adventure,
Pennsylvania’s road system started
booming. The success of the Lincoln
Highway was unmatched by attempts
LincolnHighway.com
of imitators. There were countless
A dirt trail which shows what the difficult areas of
travelers’ guides written for the cross-country travel were like before the Lincoln
Lincoln Highway encouraging travel, Highway helped modernize the country.
as well as an abundance of Lincoln
Highway memorabilia.

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 how
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 passed close by several tourist attractions that travelers may be
interested in taking a break from driving to visit. Such attractions include Valley
Forge and Gettysburg.

According to the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor website, many diners and
lodging companies started popping up along the Lincoln Highway, and their
numbers continue to grow to this day. The Lincoln Highway remains to be a
historic source of economic profitability. A popular diner in Columbia named
Keri’s Prospect Diner is known for its good scrapple, a true Pennsylvanian food.
There are two popular landmarks that have to be mentioned when talking about
the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania, The Coffee Pot and The Shoe House.

The Lincoln Highway is a beautiful and important part of Pennsylvania’s history. It

represents Pennsylvania’s contribution to America’s first cross-country highway,
which was a huge step in motivating the country to build more highways and
roads. The Lincoln Highway helped people realize the economic and social benefits
a more complex transportation system provides. 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. This highway
holds historical significance for the state of Pennsylvania because jump started the
state’s road system. 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. The Lincoln Highway was an innovative and prideful part in
Pennsylvania’s and America’s history.
Sources:

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

Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 1996.
 McClain, Frank, Ostermann, H.C. The Complete Official Road Guide
of the Lincoln Highway 3rd Edition. Michigan: Lincoln Highway
Association, 1920.
 Carl G. Fisher. Library of Congress. 1909. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003653845/?
sid=0bb4529381782bd6e0e528e343a65522>.
 The Lincoln Highway Tuscarora Summit to Rays Hill. Lincoln Highway Home
Page. Web. 20 May 2010.
<http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/LH/centpenn03.htm>.
 The Library of Congress American Memory. Lincoln Highway. Web. 20 May
2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query>.
 Kutz, Kevin, Brian Butko, and Mary Thomas. Kevin Kutz's Lincoln
highway. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2006. Print.
 The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. Web. 12 June 2010.
<http://www.lhhc.org/ >.
 Saari, Ronald. Roadside Attractions. Web. 12 June 2010.
<http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/roadsideAttractions/hainesShoeHouse.
jpg>.