"Stay in your lane!" Not hard to do when your wheels are knee-deep in mud.
As the California Lincoln Highway Association archivist, I recently acquired a treasure trove of Lincoln Highway (1913-1927) material from our former archivist, Gary Kinst. Much of it is California-based. There is also material on the entire stretch from New York to California. Let’s explore this highway together.
Starting with this photo of Tama County, Iowa, which was infamous on the original Lincoln Highway (1913-1927). After rain, the rich Iowa soil turned into "gumbo" that packed wheels and threw mud "higher than the telephone poles," Henry Joy of the Lincoln Highway Association wrote after getting stuck near Tama. The 1924 Official Road Guide to the Lincoln Highway even warned that trying Iowa dirt roads right after a rain was "folly."
Imagine leaving New York for California and having to time your trip to avoid this. That is why the Lincoln Highway (1913-1927) was created: a paved coast-to-coast highway.
