She says the author, James R. Wright, grew up on the Dixie Highway and drives it almost every day, but it is the loss of places along the route that got him to write this book and collect the pictures. Today, there is no official Dixie Highway, but a lot of it runs along Illinois Highway 1.
It was planned by Carl Fisher, founder of the Indianapolis Speedway, Lincoln Highway, and Miami Beach, as a way to connect the Midwest with Florida. In 1914, automobiles were beginning to reach the masses in much larger numbers, and, they needed a place to drive.
Construction began in 1915 and wasn't finished in Illinois until 1927. It started in Chicago at the Art Institute and ran along the eastern border until Danville where it headed southeast to Indianapolis.
I especially liked the German POW picture as most people today do not know of the prison camps scattered throughout the United States.
Looks Like Another Book I'll Have to Add to My Collection. It's Arcadia Publishing, So You Know It's Good. --RoadDog
RoadDog's RoadLog Blog: Being my travels down those great two lane highways of this nation as well as news I learn about them from media sources. Since I'm also very interested in historic preservation, there will be a lot of that as well.
The Shamrock Court Motel in Sullivan, Missouri. It can be yours for $125,000. Lots of possibilities. Actually, now you're too late. Missouri's Roamin' Rich bought it.
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