The Lincoln Highway was conceived on September 10, 1912, as a coast-to-coast all-weather road from Times Square in New York to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Completed in the mid-1920s, it freed automobile travel from changeable weather and allowed travel throughout the year. Recognized as the first graveled road marked from the East Coast to its terminus in San Francisco, it opened the country to travel for business and pleasure. Near this location, the highway ran along what is now Freeway 99, a route historically called the Monterey Trail that now connects travelers to destinations throughout the United States.