The original White Pole Road of Iowa's River-To-River Road insured that it was straighter, leveler and a shorter route across the state with a town every five or six miles along the way.
As a predecessor of the U.S. highway system, the White Pole Road was not funded by the state and it was up to the people to maintain or "drag the road" with their King drags in order to grow their communities. The more travelers you get on the White Pole Road, the more business you have.
Poles along the route were painted white and auto tourists were encouraged to travel The Great White Way."
The fall of 1912, the road eventually extended east from Des Moines to Davenport to encompass the entire state with plans to extend eventually extend east to Chicago and west to Denver.
The State Legislature then created the Iowa State Highway Commission in 1913 and the Iowa Highway Route Registration Act gave the commission the job of registering named trails that were more than 25 miles long.
The Great White Way Association applied on October 6, 1913; paid the $5 fee and was awarded a certificate on July 20, 1914, making it the first certified Route under the provisions of the State Highway Committee.
--RoadDog
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