Iowa

Gifts and Things Found Along the Lincoln Highway

December 23, 2013 by Cece

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The nomad in me never stops moving, hence my silence on this blog. After I finished the tour this fall, my husband and I took the plunge and moved 2,000 miles from Chicago to Portland, Oregon where we’ve both never lived before! We’ve been here now for a few weeks, and are spending the holidays here on the West Coast. So far my time has been great here, and I look forward to exploring the area more very soon.

But enough about non-Lincoln Highway things! I know many of you out there have been enjoying and celebrating your holiday season amidst the hustle and bustle that comes along with it. I wanted to stop and take stock of the many gifts blessings I’ve received from people along the road this year, and I wanted to share these roadside finds with you all. Below you’ll find some really neat and unique items that were given to me as well as things I found along the way. You’ll also see a plethora of t-shirts in this collection as well from across the country (when you live on the road and laundry is scarce, new t-shirts are pretty much a necessity).

Without sounding too hokey, the biggest gift of all is nothing pictured in this gallery. It will always be the new friends I made while on my journey; they now have become “old” friends to me in such a short time. They are the true legacy of the Lincoln Highway, and I feel honored to know them. You will hear more about these extraordinary people in future blog posts as well as my book about my travels. So stay tuned-this is only the beginning!

Old Lincoln Highway Sign from Iowa. It was a gifted to me by someone from the Iowa LHA Chapter. These signs hung on the original route until they were replaced by Iowa’s Heritage Byway signs a few years ago.

Being the musician I am, CD’s were a welcome gift and soundtrack for my travels. Some CD’s were given to me by complete strangers, others by longtime friends. Everything from Classical to Country Music is included in this collection.

From left to right: 1) Hand-created Lincoln Highway Miniature Marker 2) Snowflake Christmas Ornament created with salt from the Great Salt Lake 3) Piece of Petrified Wood found at Middlegate Station in Nevada 4) Ornament from Rock Springs Historical Museum 4) Root Beer Growler from Gottenburg Brewery, Columbus Nebraska 6) Tote bag from Grantsville, Utah

Detail of Handmade Lincoln Highway Marker made by Bob Owens (Jefferson, Iowa). He told me that he puts 6 coats of sand on each marker to create the desired effect.

Detail of Rock Springs Historical Museum Ornament, Rock Springs, Wyoming

Detail of Snowflake Ornament, Grantsville, Utah

Handmade Pin on antique hankerchief, made by Janet Von Toussiant of the Livermore Heritage Guild in California.

There were several books presented to me on my travels. From Art Deco Paper Dolls to the Book of Mormon, all of the books play a part in the story of the Lincoln Highway.

The two books in the back were both written by my friend and Lincoln Highway guru Brian Butko. Both were published this year to commemorate the highway’s centennial. In the front you can see some fun sheet music from the 1910’s and 20’s that was given to me by people along the way too. I just love those old song titles!

You’ll find this old-time country store along the Lincoln in between Bedford and Pittsburgh. Definitely stop and take the time to walk around the store, you never know what you will find there!

I absolutely love the mission of the Music Village, and if you are in/near the South Bend area please check them out! They are doing great things for the community along the Lincoln Highway.

When I was staying in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this t-shirt was given to me as a great surprise from my host! I guess the road warrior in me was already shining through. :-)

About 30 miles outside of Cedar Rapids, IA, you’ll find the Youngville Gas Station and restaurant. Entirely run by volunteers, this place is a lovely stop along the Lincoln Highway.

Thanks to Bob and Joyce Ausberger not only for giving this t-shirt to me, but for inviting me to perform in Jefferson, IA for their huge Bell Tower Festival.

This wonderful shirt was a gift from the Music Director at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie, Wyoming.

One of the most unique performances on my tour was to be part of the annual Rockport Dam Jam. I got to learn new music for this concert, and the players were an absolute delight to perform with.

T-shirt of the Eureka Opera House. If you are in this part Nevada, please do yourself a favor and spend the afternoon (or night) here.

Middlegate Station in Nevada is a fanstastic place to stop, walk around, and get a bite to eat.

One of my favorite finds at the Nevada Historical Society’s gift shop: A t-shirt showing all of the hobo signs and symbols.

Until then, may the rest of 2013 be merry for you all! –Cece

The Reed/Niland Corner: One of Best Places to Experience Highway History

June 21, 2013 by Cece

It’s hard to believe this, but I’ve now been on the road touring and performing along the Lincoln Highway for three months. I’ve got three more months to go still, and it’s times like these when you need to regroup and recharge. This is where the historic Reed/Niland Corner comes into play.

I’m a firm believer that history is alive all around us, and appears in so many different ways, not just in books. At this part of the route in Colo, Iowa it’s so alive you really feel it. Built at the intersection of the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways (more on the Jefferson Highway shortly), this corner of the world saw a heavy amount of traffic. So much so, that back in the early 1920’s, Charlie Reed built a gas station. The Reed and Niland families quickly built a lunch stand which turned into a café later, and then also turned a makeshift campground into more permanent lodging for travelers. This area became one of the first if not the first place where you could get everything in “one stop”. It also quickly became one of the first places along the route that was open 24 hours as well!

As noted in my previous post, the Lincoln paved the way for other auto trails to be created throughout the country. The Jefferson Highway was the 14th route to be created after the Lincoln Highway, was the first North-South Transcontinental Route, and was named after founding father Thomas Jefferson. It was built in 1915 and runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana (it contains states which were involved in the Louisiana Purchase). To quote a Colo local, “It’s the only place where Lincoln and Jefferson actually do meet!” It is also called the “Palm to Pine Highway” to note the change in the trees along the route.

I still have several states to go on this tour, but I do have to say this part of the highway holds a special place in my heart. It truly feels like a home away from home, and I can’t say that about your average hotel and/or restaurant chain. You can’t get gas here anymore, but you can still stay in the restored Colo Motel and eat at Niland’s Café. If you can swing it in your travels, you should try to stay here at least one night so you can experience what this place is like, eat a meal, walk the grounds, and see all of the interpretive plaques and exhibits so you can learn about this place fully. You won’t regret it.

I again will put up some photos of this place, but know that the photos don’t do justice to how beautifully restored this area is.

Here’s the live musician I saw when I first got into town. His name is David Gray, but plays in a couple bands. I even sang backup vocals on a song!

Every Thursday during the warmer months, there’s a Farmer’s Market held from 5-7pm. Local vendors, live music, and good food, not a bad way to spend an evening!

Here’s a view of the cafe from the gas station on Farmer’s Market day.

Here’s the same windows, but from the other side.

View of the restored gas pumps and the Lincoln/Jefferson Highway. If you look in the distance you can see the Jefferson Highway Sign painted on the telephone pole.

Some things have been left as they were when it closed in 1967.

Here’s the gas station cash register, which was used during its operation until it closed in 1967. Look at the final total – I wish gas cost that amount!

There’s some irony in there somewhere with this picture…

A great fun sign from the Burma Shave company, which was a very popular brand of shaving cream from the 20s-50s.

This is the drawer right under the cash register. Note the old bottle of Four Roses and the Billy Club, perfect for keeping thieves and boredom away on the night shift!

Here’s Charlie Reed’s Desk, which has always been there since it opened in the 1920’s.

One of my favorite pictures taken on this journey so far.

The Lincoln and Jefferson Highways together!

Love the old sign on the back of the cafe, plus check out the old street lights.

This picture was taken while sitting at one of the counter stools.

Another view from the counter, this time on a cloudy day.

I love this quote from Emily Post (click on the photo to magnify the picture).

Inside Niland’s Cafe is a mini-exhibit about Colo and how the highways affected the town. This 1939 Cadillac is a fun thing to see amongst many others.

Here’s a view of more the buildings from early motel days. The one on the right was the old shower areas for the motel guests.

This part of the corner has been turned into a small park where you can picnic and view the Jefferson Highway marker.

This is a great old sign, which drivers on the Jefferson Highway would have been able to see from the road.

Burma Shave signs were also split up along the route like this so travelers would read them as they drove.

Words to remember when the road gets long…

For a more in-depth video of this historic corner, check out this great video on YouTube:

I’ll be hitting the road tomorrow so there will be a couple days where I won’t be writing much, so have a great first weekend of summer everyone and I’ll talk to you soon!

The Jefferson Bell Tower Festival Plus Sightseeing in Greene & Boone County

June 20, 2013 by Cece

There’s a bunch of pictures in this post, so I won’t write much here. What I will say was I had a wonderful time a being a part of Jefferson’s Bell Tower Festival. I performed both at the opening ceremony on Friday night, as well as a regular performance on Saturday afternoon. Another first for this tour was that I performed as part of a church service on Sunday in Grand Junction, Iowa. The minister said a few words, and then let me perform!

I also got a chance to hang out with a lot of great Iowa Lincoln Highway Association folks during this time, including Bob and Joyce Ausberger, Bob and Janet Owens, Dean and Jeannie Parr, John Fitzsimmons and many more! One beautiful day after the festival was done, the two Bob’s and Joyce took me on a driving tour of Greene and Boone Counties, and I learned more about bridges in one day than I had in my lifetime.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but if anyone has any questions about the pictures feel free to ask in the comments below. Thanks!

This statue of Lincoln is right next to the courthouse in Jefferson and he faces the highway. An excerpt from his 2nd inaugural address is inscribed below.

The Jefferson Bell Tower is a Carillon Tower that has an observation deck in which you can view the whole city and a couple nearby towns.

The Jefferson County courthouse is truly one of the most beautiful courthouses I’ve ever been in. What a lovely ceiling!

I was honored to be a part of the Jefferson Bell Tower Opening Ceremonies. Thanks again to Bob and Joyce Ausberger for setting everything up!

Hanging out with some LHA folks after performing for the Opening Ceremonies of the Bell Tower Festival.

I was so happy to have my Mom drive down from Minnesota for the Bell Tower Festival, it was great to have her there. Thanks also to our family friend Leann for coming down and taking this picture as well!

Here’s me in the parade! The car is a 1929 Model A.

Here’s a picture of me and Marty, my accompanist for the Jefferson and Grand Junction performances.

Here’s what the museum looks like from the outside.

Here’s another view of the Grand Junction museum.

A great banner done by local artist John Fitzsimmons. You’ll read more about him later.

This Haynes-Apperson car was built in 1902, and is the 1st car ever owned in Boone county, and the 10th car ever owned in the state of Iowa.

Here’s the back of the Haynes-Apperson Car.

It really is the 10th car owned in the state, and here’s the plate to prove it!

Me with Terry, the Mayor of Grand Junction.

This 1914 newspaper was found when they were renovating the museum in Grand Junction. Definitely click on this photo so you can see all of the detail in the paper.

These recreated Burma Shave ads from the heydays of the highway can bee see randomly all over the state. They all are pretty funny too!

This table at the Lincoln Highway museum in Grand Junction has a table that has been covered and lacquered in old matchbook covers. Pretty neat!

Here’s a detail picture of that cool table.

The Eureka arch bridge was built in 1912 and has five large arches spanning the Raccoon River just west of Jefferson Iowa.

The Hillcrest Motel was opened just outside of Jefferson in the in 50’s. When the route was re-routed a few years later, it fell into ruin quickly. There is discussion to restore it back to its original glory and make it a historic site.

The Lincoln Highway has several incarnations as you all know. There were several places in Greene County like this where it went through a person’s property long ago, and then was re-routed. This farm outside of Jefferson has the original route running on their property, and you can see it here between the trees.

Old motel sign just outside of Grand Junction.

Want to know how the Lincoln Highway is spelled in Chinese Characters? This gas station in Grand Junction has it listed on their station.

This Lion’s Club Tree Park and Lincoln Highway Interpretive site is right outside of Grand Junction. It is is located at the point where the Lincoln Highway splits from the newer US 30 and where four bridges cross West Beaver Creek.

The Lincoln Highway wasn’t the only auto trail that was created in the early 20th century, and you can see what their logos/signs looked like here.

The Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge is located just outside of Beaver, Iowa on the original Lincoln Highway Route. This bridge was one of the earliest bridges of this type, and it was built in the 1910s.

Bob and Joyce posing with two of the bridges that started it all. In the background you have the 1915 bridge, and in the left foreground you can see the 1920s bridge.

Before signs, the routes were painted on telephone poles. This is a faded Lincoln Highway post from that time.

This is the Little Beaver Creek Lincoln Highway Bridge. Note the “L” on the sides of the bridge.

Here’s a full view of the Lincoln Highway Bridge

I saw the leaning shed with the prairie, and thought this image had to be immortalized.

Another Bridge built over the railroad tracks near the Dragoon Trail. Look at that blue sky!

We got lucky when a train passed by I was photographing the bridge!

The Kate Shelley High Bridge (built 1889-1901) is among the highest double-track railroad bridges in the United States. This is the first bridge to be named after a woman in the US, and rightfully so – she risked her life by crossing a railroad bridge to save passengers from a train that had been derailed by flood waters.

View of the original bridge from under the tracks.

You can see the old and new bridge together in this shot.

The Wagon Wheel Bridge was built in 1909, and is one of the few remaining large-scale wagon trusses in Iowa.

John Fitzsimmons is an artist who lives just outside of Boone, IA. He not only does some great artwork about the highway, he also is trying to recreate an old ghost town on his property. Here’s the Miner’s Inn.

This is a picture of John’s barn on the property.

Here’s the happy couple celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary.

Here’s Bob and Janet Owens, some other great members of the Iowa Chapter. They have been married for 63 years.

This is an excerpt from a 1953 A&W menu. Even back then they had veggie burgers!

Me posing with Bob Owen’s LH Marker in his front yard.

Summary of Eastern Iowa Highlights (Including a Special Trip to Belle Plaine)

June 19, 2013 by Cece

The modern Lincoln Highway Association had its rebirth in Iowa, and for good reason – many of the historic roads and places on the route are still unchanged and/or in use today. Agriculture is still the prominent industry along the route as it would haven been across the nation a century ago. The road has been categorized as a “Heritage Byway” by the state, and the signage here is excellent. You even have the options to take special loop sections along the original gravel routes to really get the old experience of what the route would have been like long ago.

My travels in Iowa thus far on the original route have been tricky. Due to the excessive rain in the state, many low-lying areas and rivers have flooded, and this includes some of the original gravel stretches in Eastern Iowa. Now normally I wouldn’t balk at a little water on the road, but when it has a current running through it, I didn’t want to take the chance. Between the Iowa mud (known as “gumbo”) and the rain travelers faced on the Lincoln Highway 100 years ago, I can see why many travelers turned back at this point.

Before I left Illinois, I received an unexpected but very cool phone call. A 94 year old man by the name of John Schild (known as “Dick” by most), heard of what I was doing. He then asked if we were related, as he had a cousin with the last name of “Otto”. I told him I wasn’t sure, but between us being possibly related, what I was doing for my project, and just exchanging general pleasantries, I had an invitation to visit and tour Belle Plaine, Iowa with John who had spent his whole life in town watching the Lincoln Highway grow and change before his eyes.

I spent about whole day touring the whole city with him, plus I had the pleasure of also having lunch at the Lincoln Cafe and afternoon conversation with him and Bill Sankot, the owner of the Sankot Garage, a place that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The intermittent rain that day facilitated some of the deepest conversations I’ve had on this tour thus far. Back in the heydays of the highway, men would gather at the garage to talk about the news of the day. This particular gloomy Wednesday in June, a 94 year old (Dick), a 60 something year old (Bill), and a 30 something year old (me) sat in the same garage and talked for hours about any and every topic you can think of in society. What did I (Cece) think of the country’s future? Are computers really the downfall of human society? If you could have one modern thing to take back with you a 100 years ago, what would it be? Take these questions and sprinkle in fun stories and anecdotes from our lives (including a few famous people), and you have an amazing, living aural history right in front of you. By the time my day had come to a close my brain was swimming with so much information, I was relieved I had recorded about 80% of our conversations that day.

Before you check out all of the cool photos in the picture gallery below, here’s a couple websites that give more information about the pictures below.

1) Belle Plaine Museum: This museum is quite a find for the area, and has several wonderful collections. A must stop for any Lincoln Highway buff.

2) Youngville Café: Built in 1931, this was a fully functioning gas station, café, and small cabin court along the highway until the late 1960’s. It too is also on the National Register of Historic Places, and now is open a couple days a week for lunch.

And now onto the gallery!

Here’s what both the modern and old Iowa Lincoln Highway Signs looks like.

I’m guessing Lincoln Highway travelers encountered high water like this along the road 100 years ago, but unlike me they didn’t have another route to follow!

Located in Mt Vernon, this is an abandoned stretch of brick road.

Here’s a section of the Mt. Vernon Brick section that has some special details about it.

This abandoned stretch of the Lincoln has a beautiful example of what early an concrete road looks like.

Here’s some detail of the concrete in the abandoned stretch.

Here’s the sign for the Seedling Mile in this part of Iowa which is East of Cedar Rapids.

You can see the change in the pavement in this photo from the original seedling mile pavement to the regular road asphalt that we use today.

This banner on Dick’s barn will greet all of the drivers from a few car tours this summer.

Dick showed me this old picture of what the tourist camp would have looked like along the original route back in the 1920s.

The Lincoln Cafe is another great old stop along the Lincoln, and they’ve got great food.

The Henry Tippie Annex is a great new exhibit in the museum. A prominent businessman, you can see his top ten rules for life.

Some great old sheet music on a piano in the music room of the museum.

Belle Plaine’s piano player reel collection is huge. They have about 200 rolls of music that can still be heard on their player pianos.

This is one of the most beautiful chandeliers I’ve ever seen. On display at the Belle Plaine Museum, this Egerman glass chandelier is a wonderful example of what was the Czech people created with glass in the 1920s. My blue necklace is also made of Czech glass from this period.

Here’s some cool old hotel signs from the Herring Hotel. We’ll see some of the building in later shots.

The Sankot Garage has been a fixture of the Lincoln Highway and Belle Plaine since the 1920s.

Here’s the Neon Sign outside the garage.

Interior shot of the Sankot Garage. Had my father been alive to see this place, I’m guessing he never would have left there! I’ve never seen so many different car parts.

Here’s another view of the front room in the Sankot Garage.

Detail of the Sankot front room’s floor.

Old Clock in the Sankot Garage, which Bill roughly dated to the 40s.

This is an old Edison Trickle Charger. This was used to charge old car batteries.

Here’s a picture of the Model A that Bill is currently restoring. They fired it up, and it runs great!

From Left to Right: Bill Sankot, Me, and John “Dick” Schild

Dick drove me in/around Belle Plaine so I could see some of the original gravel roads of the LH. Here’s the view from the car.

The Herring Hotel was an operating hotel in the heydays of the highway in Belle Plaine. It’s currently under renovation, and hopefully will be restored to its glory.

Dick can around the corner to talk to the owner to see if we could get in so I could take some photos of the area. While I was waiting I took this detail of the original floor.

A few pieces of the hotels’ original ceiling still appear.

Preston’s Garage in Belle Plaine is an important fixture of the highway. It originally was a working gas station on the original route, but when the route was moved in the 20s, the building was pulled by a horse team to the location where it is today.

Anyone who loves old signs will love stopping to view this place.

The Youngville Cafe is one of those place that you wish was open all of time. Open for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoons, as well as on Fridays for pie and the Farmer’s Market. This early 1930s cafe has been restored beautifully from top to bottom, and is run only by volunteers.

View of the Lincoln Highway from inside the Youngville Cafe.

LOVE this sign, and want it in my kitchen!

Listed on the National Historic Register, Tama’s Lincoln Highway Bridge was built in 1915.

There’s more posts about Iowa after this one, so subscribe to read more!

Absence makes the road call faster

July 28, 2011 by Cece

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”- Abraham Lincoln

So I’ve been fairly quiet in the blog world this month. Not because I’ve got nothing to say (my beloved, friends, and family can attest to that), but because I’ve been working on so many other facets of the 2013 concert that are hard to write about.

I’ve been pouring over hundreds of pieces of sheet music from the 1910’s, 20’s and 30’s (some of them the original publications) thinking about what pieces of music I like and would work well for buy cheap viagra online the travelogue, as well as thinking about what format to sing everything in.

I’ve figured out the format now, and am still whittling down the songs for the concert in my own music practice (finding and sight reading all of these pieces takes a long time). I still need help in finding old concert programs from places along the highway. Hopefully I can find some programs soon.

The need to be on the road exploring the highway has been growing stronger since the conference. I was trying to figure out a way to see more of the highway this year, and I found it!

At this time next week, I’ll be driving on the Lincoln Highway for the annual “Buy-Way” weekend. I plan to drive through all five participating states to check out the areas and talk to anyone and everyone I can about the travelogue for 2013.

Here’s my rough itinerary:

I will leave Chicago in the middle of next week and drive east to Pittsburgh via the later alignments of the LH route. I will drive West the rest of the week on the original alignments on the days noted below.

Thursday: West Virginia and Ohio

Friday: Indiana and Illinois

Saturday: Illinois and Iowa (ending in Colo, IA at the famous Reed/Niland corner).

I will be writing from the road as I did in June. If anyone has any recommendations of things I should see while I’m out and about, let me know. I especially want to check out old theatres and opera houses of course.

If any of you will be driving too, please let me know! I would love to see you.

Safe travels!