Kishwaukee River Flooding Back in 1949

From February 20, 2024, "Looking Back ."

1949, 75 years ago.

A combination of ice and high water choked up the Kishwaukee River through DeKalb and offered city crews  something different in problems Saturday.

"High water had reached the upper portions of the bridge at Annie's Woods, and the crews had dislodges floating ice there before moving up to the Lincoln Highway Bridge, where a large  flow offered another problem. Blasting powder was used to shake up the ice masses and the current started moving it down."

--RoadDog

Okay, First Plans Don't Work Out, So Time to Improvise

This past weekend did not work out as I had planned, mostly because of weather.  I had been going to go out to DeKalb, Illinois, for the NIU Spring Football Game on Saturday, but the weather sure didn't cooperate.  Temps were around 30 degrees with sleet, rain and snow (thankfully no accumulation) and a blustery wind which blew it right through you.

There was no way I was going to sit outside for any length of time.

I was also going to go from DeKalb and spend several days out at one of my favorite towns along the Mississippi River (and on the Lincoln Highway as is DeKalb), Clinton, Iowa.  I would be driving the Lincoln Highway there.  

From there I was going to Galena, Illinois for several days and attend the dedication of a bust honoring Sgt. Henry Taylor of Galena who received a Medal of Honor for his actions at Vicksburg during the Civil War this Saturday.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 21

I went over to pal Frank and Liane's place and had an excellent steak dinner and watched shows on Netflix before going to the Fox Lake American Legion for pull tabs and found out that the Fox Lake Historical Society and the village were dedicating a historical marker tomorrow.

Since I had already decided not to go to the football game, I decided to go history.

--RoadWeather

After the Third Round of IHSA Illinois State High School Football Playoffs: Route 66 vs. Lincoln Highway Showdown

The third round, Quarterfinals, was played this last weekend.  These are the Route 66 teams still playing:

6A

East St. Louis

4A

Sacred Heart-Griffin  (Springfield)

3A

Williamsville

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These are the Lincoln Highway high schools remaining:

8A

Lincoln Way (Franklin)

7A

Batavia

4A

Providence  (New Lenox

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The showdown is currently tied at three teams apiece.

--RoadSchool

After Second Round IHSA Illinois High School Football Playoffs: Route 66 vs. Lincoln Highway

At the end of the first round, Route 66 led 10-4.

These Route 66 high school teams won last weekend:

6A:  East St. Louis 

4A:  Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield)

3A:  Williamsville

2A:  Central Catholic  (Bloomington)

These Lincoln Highway high schools won last weekend:

8A:  Lincoln Way (Frankfort)

7A:  Batavia and St. Charles North

5A:  Sterling

4A:  Providence (New Lennox)  and Rochelle

Lincoln Highway now leads 6-4.

--RoadSchool

Route 66 Wins 2021 Illinois High School Football Showdown

The Championship games were played this past Friday and Saturday.

Out of 256 teams to start the playoffs, only 8 remain.

Route 66 wins by a 2-1 score.

Wilmington in 2A won their championships game vs. Nashville.

Joliet Catholic Academy won 4A over fellow Route 66 team Sacred Heart-Griffin of Springfield.

Since Joliet is also in the Lincoln Highway, Joliet Catholic also put a win in Lincoln Highway's corner.

Congratulations to Route 66.  --RoadDog

2021 IHSA Lincoln Highway-Route 66 Showdown: The Remaining Lincoln Highway Teams

At the start of the competition last week, Lincoln Highway had a 15-14 edge over Route 66.  This week Route 66 has a 9-8 edge over Lincoln Highway.

These Lincoln Highway teams lost last week:  Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Lincoln Way West, Sterling, Kaneland, Dixon and Aurora Christian.

These teams remain:

8A

Plainfield North

Lincoln Way East

7A

Batavia

Geneva

5A

Rochelle

Aurora Marmion Academy

4A

Joliet Catholic

2A

Sterling Newman Catholic

--RoadDog

IHSA First Round Standings Lincoln Highway-Route 66 Showdown

Going into the first round last weekend, there were 14 Route 66 teams and 15 Lincoln Highway teams.

As of today, there are 9 remaining Route 66 teams and 8 Lincoln Highway teams remaining.

ROUTE 66 TEAMS

Last weekend, Edwardsville, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Chatham-Greenwood, Normal Community West. lost.

These teams remain

8A

Plainfield North

7A

Normal Community

6A

Springfield

East St. Louis

4A

Joliet Catholic

Sacred Heart-Griffin

3A

Williamsville

Carlinville

2A

Wilmington

--RoadDog

It's Back Again, the Route 66/Lincoln Highway Illinois State High School Playoffs

 Last year, we didn't have it because  of you-know-what.  But I have been running this every years since 2012.  And, since we have the IHSA football playoffs again this year. we're back as they say!!

Right now, the overall series stands with Lincoln Highway leading 4-2 with two ties.

I go through all eights section levels in the state and find high schools whose towns are along Route 66 and Lincoln Highway.  I then make a list for each road and the contest begins.  As teams lose and are eliminated, they are taken off the road teams until just one (or possibly none) are left in the final round, the state championship.

This year, I have 14 high schools listed along Route 66 and 15 listed on Lincoln Highway.

Overall, the top 256 high school teams are involved in it.  Out of nine regular season games, a school has to have at least a 5-4 record (but usually they end up playing a 9-0 or 8-1 team).

Best of Luck to Both Roads.  --RoadDog

Our 48th Wedding Anniversary and the Lincoln Highway-- Part 2: NIU's Newman Center and the Holiday Inn

Liz and I met at Palatine High School in 1967, dated throughout the rest of high school and then I went to Northern and she went to Harper College.  We broke up for awhile, but then got back together senior year at Northern.

We got married in DeKalb, Illinois, which is right on the Lincoln Highway, and is Illinois State Highway 38 through it but goes by he name Lincoln Highway.  

The marriage ceremony took place at Northern Illinois' Newman Center.  Father Dan Hermes married us.  It was an extremely hot day, much like yesterday and today is right now.  Fortunately the Newman Center Chapel was air conditioned.

Afterwards, we had the wedding reception at the DeKalb Holiday Inn (which is now the Red Roof Inn).  This is right on the Lincoln Highway.

So, You Might Say Our Wedding Was a Lincoln Highway Thing.  --RoadDog

Our 48th Wedding Anniversary and the 'Lincoln Crawl'-- Part 1

Yesterday, Liz and I celebrated out 48th wedding anniversary at Donovan's Reef on Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  We had been planning on going to Galena, Illinois, where we had gone for our honeymoon in 1973.  But, with all this flareup with the virus, we canceled plans to do it.

We were married in DeKalb, Illinois, on August 25, 1973.  We had both just graduated from Northern Illinois University there in May,

The whole time we were going there, we often went to places (specially those of the bar sort) on the main road through town which was called the Lincoln Highway.  At the time, that name was just the name of another street.  We had no idea of its importance of it in U.S. transportation history.  Hey, it was the first American transcontinental highway and went from New York City to San Francisco.

As a matter of fact, we didn't know its importance all the way up to 2002, when we "discovered" Route 66  and the fun of driving those old roads.

During our college student years and afterwards as alumni, we often did what students referred to as the "Lincoln Crawl."  This would be to hit a lot  of bars along this Lincoln Highway street.  Many of our college bars were on Lincoln.

And, that would include such as The Uprising, Shamrock, Andy's, McCabe's, Candle Light and Sullivan's.

And, back then you didn't have to worry much about the police and DUIs.  It just wasn't done like it is today.

To Say the Least, We Sure Partied on the Lincoln Highway.  --RoadDog

Lincoln Logs, June 2021: News from the Lincoln Highway

JUNE 1, 2021

POPULAR SUPPERMARKET  RETURNS TO LINCOLN HIGHWAY EXPERIENCE IN UNITY

From the June 1, 2021, Trib Live by Shirley  McMarlin.

These are weekly outdoor food festivals featuring entertainment and that has already started and run through to August 25.   They are from 5 to 8 pm every Wednesday, weather permitting, and held on the grounds of the Lincoln Highway Experience grounds in Unity, Pennsylvania.

Lauren  Koker, the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum executive director says:  "This is hands-down, our most   popular event here at the museum."

It is now in its eighth season.

This year's vendors are Aromo Italiano,  Chey Dato's Table, Connections Cafe,  Grateful Smoke BBQ,  Blended & Brewd and Bella  Terra Vineyards.  Payment is by cash only.

Music for the remaining days:  Tim Bush, Deja Vu,  Gashouse Annie and Tim Roberts and Stacey Meyers.

Admission is $5 a car and picnic tables are available but fill up fast.  No pets or outside food allowed.

Sounds Like Fun On the Old Lincoln.

--RoadSup

Good Buddy Denny Back to Cruising-- Part 1: US-20 East, Yellowstone Trail West

Yesterday I was able to meet my good buddy Denny who is on US Highway 20 and has been since leaving its western terminus in Oregon.  He had already taken one of the lesser-known, but still major road for its time, the Yellowstone Trail from Plymouth, Massachusetts, to the Puget Sound in Washington State.

This guy likes to travel.  He left on June on June 6, 2021, and drove north from his home in Cincinnati to US 20 in the northern part of the state where he headed east to its eastern terminus in Boston.

From there, he went a little north to catch the Yellowstone Trail, which gives you a good idea as to where its eastern end is with its logo "A Good Road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound."  There's a clue as to its western terminus.

The Yellowstone Trail is the first transcontinental Road through the northern tier of states, established in 1912, even before the much-better known Lincoln Highway in 1913.  From Plymouth, he headed west along the route of the old Yellowstone Trail.

Since we live only about 30 miles from the old Yellowstone Trail in Illinois, I was hoping to get up with him when he passed through, but we were unable to do so.  But, he was coming back on US Highway 20, and that too is inly about 30 miles away as well.

You can follow his trip at www.dennygibson.com.

Better Luck This Next Time.  --RoadDog

Lincoln Logs: Get Your $1.40 Haircut in Plainfield, Illinois This Week

From the June 2, 2021, Plainfield (Illinois) Patch "Lincoln Way  Barber Shop  celebrates 140 years with $1.40 haircuts" by Emily Rosca.

This really old barbershop, 140 years, is celebrating that milestone in Plainfield, Illinois, with $1.40 haircuts from June 1 to June 5.  Which means you now have two days to get the deal, or pay more, much more.

Don Kinley, 84, is the shop's fourth generation owner.  His great grandfather, Al  Worst, first opened the place in 1881 when it was named The Al Worst Barber Ship but quickly acquired the name "the Worst Barber Shop in Plainfield" for some reason.

His son Floyd took it over in 1928 and ran it for about 63 years and then his son Bob ran it until 1993.  When he died, it was bought by Don Kinley who has run it ever since.

It has been located at its current address at 24045 W. Lockport Street since 1902.  The name was changed to the Lincoln War Barber Shop in the 1940s in honor of our famed Lincoln Highway.

June 6, Sunday, they will have an open house featuring the history of the places, photographs and two barbershop quartets.

I'm about in need of a haircut myself, but Plainfield is a bit far for me.

--RoadShaggy

Lincoln Logs 2021: Historic Niland Cafe in Colo, Iowa-- Part 2

Niland's Cafe is located at the Reed-Niland  Corner beside a restored gas station and the Colo Motel at the junction of two of the famous pre-numbered highways: the Lincoln Highway going east-west and Jefferson Highway going north-south.

The buildings are owned by the Colo Development Group and the Wilsons are leasing and managing the businesses.

In the early days of automobile travel, two famous roads named for presidents, the Lincoln and Jefferson intersected just outside of Colo, Iowa, at a spot that became known as the Reed-Niland Corner.

In 1923, a Colo farmer named Charlie Reed began selling gasoline  and soon after that added food and lodging to his roadside business.  He was assisted in the effort by his nephew M. Reed Niland.  Three generations of the  two related families served customers for more than 70 years and the location became known as the Reed-Niland Corner or Niland's Corner.

Located at 24 Lincoln Way in Colo,  Niland's Cafe is open Fridays 11 am to 7 pm, Saturdays 7 am to 7 pm, and Sundays 7 am to 2 pm.

--RoadDog

Lincoln Logs, May 2021: Historic Niland's Cafe Reopens in Colo-- Part 1

From the May 13, 2021, Ames, Iowa, Tribune " 'It's really comfort food':  Historic Niland's Cafe  in Colo reopens under new management Friday" by Ronna Faaborg.

COVID-19 closed Niland's in August, but it is reopening Friday (today) under the new ownership of  Danny and Abi Wilson, longtime Colo residents.  They will have a smaller menu with lots of homemade items, including tenderloins made to their own recipe.

The menu will also include burgers, roast beef, potatoes and gravy, plenty of side dishes, pies and shakes.

The vintage Cadillac  that used to be parked in the dining room has been removed next door to the gas station museum so seating is more than doubled inside.

Niland's Cafe is located between the gas station museum  and the Colo Motel.  Rooms are $60 a night at the motel.

The couple has five children in the Colo school district and she teaches there.  He also owns a carpentry business.

Good To have It Back Open.  --RoadDog

Best of DeKalb, Illinois (and Much of It On the Famed Lincoln Highway)

According to a poll on the Northern Star, newspaper of Northern Illinois University which is located in the city.

BEST PIZZA PLACE:  Vinny's Pizza,   221 W. Lincoln Highway  (Yep, THAT Lincoln Highway road warriors)

BEST BURGER:   Fatty's Pub,  1312 W. Lincoln Highway  (And make sure you get a side order of deep-fried Cajun potato salad, you'll be glad you did.)

BEST SANDWICH PLACE:  Jersey Mike's Subs, 103 N. Annie Glidden Road

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BEST DRINK SPECIALS: Fatty's Pub, especially on Tuesday nights.

BEST MEXICAN CUISINE:   Los Rancheros, 2350 Sycamore Road

BEST ASIAN CUISINE:  Fushi Yami, 822 W. Lincoln Highway

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BEST ICE CREAM PLACE:  Ollie's Frozen Custard  2290 Oakland Dr.

BEST COFFEE PLACE:  Starbucks, 1015 W. Lincoln Highway

BEST BREAKFAST PLACE:  The Junction Eating Place,   816 W. Lincoln Highway

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BEST DATE RESTAURANT:  Ellwood  Steak and Fish House, 2219 Sycamore Road

BEST GROCERY STORE:  Hy-Vee, 2700 DeKalb Avenue

BEST PLACE TO WATCH SPORTS (especially the Huskies):  Fatty's Pub

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Just in case you're in town.  And, a whole lot of them are on the famed Lincoln Highway.

Enjoy.  --RoadDog

The Unforeseen Consequences of the U.S. Interstate System-- Part 2: Eisenhower's 1919 Military Convoy

After World War I ended, then Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower took part in a cross-country convoy on the new Lincoln Highway -- the nation's first transcontinental highway from Times Square in New York City to San Francisco. This was partly a celebration of victory and also to show the need for much better roads.  It took his 280 men and 72 vehicles two months to make the trip.

This set the need for what became Eisenhower's interstate system in his mind.

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HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION GETS  FEDERAL SUPPORT

While the states were initially finding the interstate infrastructure projects, there was a growing call for the federal government to step in.  That wouldn't happen until 1944 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal-Aid Highway  Act that outlined a plan to build a 40,000 mile national interstate system of highways.

With World War II raging, however, there was no money available for the project which left everything essentially at a standstill until the 1950s, when the former Army officer Dwight D. Eisenhower took office as U.S. president, just under 7,000 miles of the project had been built.

--RoadDog

The Unforeseen Consequences of the American Interstate System-- Part 1

From the March 10, 2021, Cheddar by Lawrence Banton.

The early 1900s marked the beginning of Americans traveling more and more by automobiles as prices for them came down.  The problem then, as now, has been roads.

New York opened the New York State Parkway in 1908 to link cities with recreational areas.  A year later, Daniel Burnham submitted plans for building and elaborate highway system in Chicago  that would connect outlying suburbs to the urban center.

In the 1910s, states began working  together to create their own interstate systems so businesses could transport goods to  multiple states and people could travel to a larger number of destinations.

One of the first major interstate systems was the Dixie Highway created in 1915, connecting  Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on the Canadian border, to Miami, Florida just as Florida was beginning its real estate boom.  (Actually the Lincoln Highway, the first hard surface transcontinental highway was two years earlier than that.

Since these highways were state-run projects, that meant no federal money was allocated.    To cover the costs of these projects states began charging gas taxes.  Oregon instituted a gas tax  in 1911 and by 1932, every state was  imposing the taxes.

Since only the people using the roads were paying the tax, this was fair.

Next:  Dwight D. and Cross Country on the LH.

--RoadDog

Lincoln Highway Passports in Iowa-- Part 4: Tourism Brings in the Revenue and Provides Jobs

According to Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa  Finance Authority Director Debi Durham,  "Iowa's scenic byways offer both a breathtaking view of our state's diverse landscapes and a journey through Iowa's cultural heritage through  historic sites, national landmarks and other attractions that tell our state's story.  The new Scenic Byways Passport is a great way to explore Iowa all year long."

The Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway stretches more than  460 miles from Clinton on the Mississippi River to Council Bluffs at the western edge of the state.    It's Iowa's longest  and most historic byway.  Travelers experience rural landscapes and urban vitality, original landmarks like service stations and road markers, a wide variety of Iowa's unique topography along with wineries, breweries, distilleries, eateries, museums and other attractions.

Tourism in Iowa generates nearly $9 billion in expenditures and $517.5 million in state taxes, while employing  70,200 people statewide.  The Iowa Tourism Office is part of the Iowa Economic Development  Authority.

For more information, visit the traveliowa.com site.

--RoadHawk

Lincoln Highway Passports in Iowa-- Part 3: 'Roads Less Traveled'

Places to get your Iowa Lincoln Highway Passports:

**  Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone

**  Lions Club Tree Park in Grand Junction

**  Thomas Jefferson Gardens in Jefferson

**  Eugen Koch  Memorial Park in Westside

**  Harrison County Historical Village and Welcome Center in Missouri Valley

**  Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs

"Transportation is essential to connecting people with all the wonderful things Iowa has to offer," Marley said.  "Our state's scenic byways system helps travelers recognize both main roadways  and roads less traveled that highlight the uniqueness of out great state."

--Road(Hawk)Eye