Lincoln Highway Illinois

INTRODUCTION

Established in 1912 by early automotive entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway is regarded as the country’s first transcontinental route and is affectionately known as the “Father Road.” Inspired by the Good Roads Movement and the National Old Trails Road, the Lincoln Highway was also the first route constructed specifically for automobile use, catalyzed by the need for all-weather, hard-surfaced, durable roads and the idea that the route would showcase what roads could be.

Before the Lincoln Highway, many of the nation’s overland routes were a disjointed web of dangerous and impassable dirt and gravel roads.

Using and improving existing roads, Fisher's idea became a reality in just three years, as the Lincoln Highway crossed 3,400 miles from New York to San Francisco when it was completed in 1915. The highway was dedicated to the memory of one of Fisher’s heroes, President Abraham Lincoln, and now connected communities from coast-to-coast through the nation's heartland.

Neglected Road outside of Frankfort, Illinois, early 1900s
University of Michigan Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection, lhc1243.