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Lincoln Highway

The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States.[1] Actively promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway originally spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. In 1915, the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928, a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia. Thus, there are a total of 14 states, 128 counties, and over 500 cities, towns and villages through which the highway passed at some time in its history.

The first officially recorded mileage for the entire Lincoln Highway was 3389 miles (5454 km) in 1913.[2] Over the years, the road was improved and numerous realignments were made. Counting the original route and all of the subsequent realignments, there is a grand total of 5869 miles (9445 km).[3]

Conceived in 1912 and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway was America's first major memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, predating the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. by 9 years. As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to the hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the way. Affectionately, the Lincoln Highway became known as "The Main Street Across America".