In 1912, as automobile ownership was rising but long-distance road travel remained extremely difficult, Carl Fisher promoted a coast-to-coast improved road to connect existing local roads into a transcontinental highway, gained about one million dollars in pledges from automobile and parts manufacturers, and, after Henry Joy proposed honoring Abraham Lincoln in its name, helped launch the Lincoln Highway Association in 1913. The association selected and promoted a route from Times Square in New York to Lincoln Park in San Francisco through thirteen states, published guides and strip maps, marked the way with red, white, and blue signs, appointed local consuls to aid travelers, and encouraged construction of seedling miles and other improved sections to stimulate better roads. Public enthusiasm and the highway’s growing use helped advance federal road aid, though World War I interrupted progress. In 1919, a U.S. Military convoy following the route showed that existing roads were too weak and narrow for heavy military movement, influencing later highway design and contributing to Dwight Eisenhower’s support for the Interstate system. In Indiana, the highway’s development included the Ideal Section near Dyer, changes in alignment by 1925, incorporation into U.S. 30 in 1926 across much of the Midwest, a seedling mile built east of New Carlisle in 1916, and local support in places such as La Porte, where the courthouse served as a control station and Judge John C. Richter assisted travelers.

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

Photo: Duane Hall

La Porte, Indiana · USA