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National Parks Highway - The Motor Men Of '16.


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Exploring the National Parks Highway has proven to be a terrific adventure and learning opportunity. To quickly recap, I am scouting the National Parks Highway, “A Good Road to the Pacific Northwest “ as it was described in the ca. 1917 brochure of the Association and my 1915-16 Automobile Blue Book. The highway was blazed, as I like to say, in 1916 when Frank W Guilbert and at least five others launched a transcontinental auto trip between Chicago and Tacoma. These were the “Motor Men of ’16.”

 

I am always impressed at the myriad of interesting opportunities America’s two lane roads offer, and following a specific auto trail helps organize the experiences. There are many examples. Eric and I are trying to decipher the NPH routes into and out of the Moses Coulee, which is fun, and frustrating at the same time. That one is probably going to be his to achieve, unless I get a dirt bike!

 

And Eric, look at the photo below. I bet that was a telephone line! It is along the paved old Moses Coulee alignment at 47.59937, -119.68816. Conceivably it was an electric fence, but do ranchers put up a three strand barb wire fence for miles in wide open range land, and then electrify it? And if you are going to electrify a fence, do you use barb wire? I think it was the party line. Hey, maybe it led to Spencer!

 

ARPhone.jpg

 

 

The abandoned alignments in Washington on the NPH, would make the old alignment gang here drool! A couple are real gems, complete with historic telephone poles. Jim, do you recall saying a year or more ago that the old roads followed the poles and vice versa….you scored on that one!

 

Denny would love the burger places and interesting people, and Chris would have enjoyed the Rueben I had in Wilber. It was so big and juicy it served as lunch and dinner.

 

Roadhound would have made the landscape come alive with his photos, and Alex would have told a story about driving the old roads in the good old days he and I share.

 

Jason is waiting for the National Parks Highway letterhead and cards.

 

Jennifer would have gotten a kick out of my GPS lashup, and Pat would have enjoyed my talk with Shirley and Nate.

 

Dave Reese would have been cheering us on.

 

My point is that the National Parks Highway has something for everyone.

 

ARCouleeAlmiraMap.jpg

 

 

So I will pick up the “trail” leaving Coulee City. I took the old alignment east past the rodeo grounds and into the wheat country. The wheat was about 6 inches high and as I followed the old route along section lines, I realized what it must have been like in 1915 or 16 to travel this land of ours in an automobile. It was right a mile, left two, right one, left 4, and so on. The 16 mile straight away near Waterville was an exception.

 

I followed the map this gang had produced into Hartline, and stopped in front of the Hartline Motor Supply and Garage. The sign out front was tired and was drooping a bit, and the place was closed. I know this place, because for the past ten years or more I have been following the gradual deterioration of a rack of old service station free maps in the dusty window.

 

ARHartlineGarage.jpg

 

 

These are Standard Oil maps, but now you couldn’t tell. They are bleached and suffering from the sunshine. I hope they are there for my next visit. They have become a significant marker for me.

 

ARHartlineMaps.jpg

 

 

The little farm towns are almost closed. Remnants of a more vigorous past greet you as you arrive. Often the only activity is the grain elevator and the post office. Sometimes a combination bar and café struggles on, frequented by a few locals. And why are they all closed on Monday? I practically starved before I reached food!

 

These towns were maybe 10 or 15 miles apart when half that distance was as far as you could go in a wagon in a day and get back in time to milk the cows and finish the chores. The ones that have survived are now 40 or 50 miles apart, probably influenced by how far you will drive in your car for milk and groceries.

 

And maybe it’s also the distance between county seats with their magnificent old court houses, like the one below at Waterville. Why do you suppose we built court houses and schools that were so splendid? Did we respect and value education and government more back then?

 

ARWatervilleCourthouse.jpg

 

 

A few more miles and I was in Almira. I ran into “Frank” outside the former Texaco station building. He said he owned the place, and by the time we finished our chat, he had learned that it was on the National Parks Highway! He was pleased, and I got a brief look inside the old building.

 

ARTexaco.jpg

 

 

Across the street sits an aging Edsel, slowly succumbing to rust…….and in the closed building next to it is a “Maxwell Service” enameled sign.

 

AREdsel.jpg

 

ARMaxwell.jpg

 

 

 

Help me here. Is that the emblem of the Maxwell automobile company? Anyone remember Jack Benny? Who is the Maxwell expert among us?

 

There is a great abandoned alignment segment east of Almira. Jim, it had no gate, just a pure example of the old road builder’s art……a winding narrow road along the telephone poles and near the railroad tracks. That is the old road as it really was. You gotta love it! Look for my new book “The Motor Men of ‘16 Do Almira.”

 

ARAlmiraAlignment.jpg

 

I pulled in early to spend the night in Wilber. The Willows Motel was clean and reasonably priced at $45 for the night (Thanks for the tip, Eric). It reminded me of the places our family stayed when we were on trips in the 40’s and early 50’s…...one story mom and pop places with green lawns in front, and friendly help at the office. And hey, they even had free WiFi.

 

I walked down Main Street to the Cottage Café and ordered the Ruben. First class sandwich, which served as lunch and dinner!

 

I think we will pick up the story in the next post.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

 

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Somebody's simply got to 'liberate' those old maps!!

 

Edsel's a '59, Second year out of the 2 1/2 years they were sold, and the last 'real' Edsel. The few '60s that were built were just rebadged Mercs with different trim. This one's got lots of chrome, so it's a higher-end Corsair model.

Dave, that's a perfect "Car Spotter" shot for "Collectible Automobile" magazine. Send it in!

 

IIRC, Maxwell was the failing auto firm that W. P. Chrysler took over in 1924 to found the Chrysler Corp. Now failing itself, sadly...

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Nice pictures and a great report from a bunch of different angles. A barded telephone line? I have my doubts :huh:

 

Denny,

 

OK, you’re a skeptic, and it is a justified skepticism. So let’s look at the evidence.

 

That is an old insulator. It could only serve two purposes, electric fence or telephone.

 

The fact that it was barb wire doesn’t discredit the phone line choice. Barb wire served as telephone lines, and its use is well documented. However, I believe the top wire was typically used. So that lends credibility to the electric fence theory.

 

And certainly most “casual” fence line telephone “systems” just used existing wire. This was purpose built, which doesn’t disprove anything, but it doesn’t prove anything either.

 

I also wonder why someone would electrify miles of range fence. Not being a rancher, I don’t know. This is wide open country and I have very seldom seen electric fencing unless it was close to the farm house or garden. If it is electric fence, maybe we should start looking for Spencer near the fence!

 

I like my phone theory, if for no better reason than it is more interesting than an old electric fence. :rolleyes:<_<:)

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

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Barbed telephone wires *did* exist. If you're in doubt, give a call to the Devil's Rope Museum in Adrian, Texas.

 

Or just go here: http://www.texasescapes.com/DelbertTrew/Ba...-Telephones.htm

Same guy. :)

 

Hard to say if this was one (couldn't it also be telegraph?), but would be fun to follow it. They definitely had telephones (or telegraphs) at the old Post Office, so the line very well could lead there.

 

Dave, I think we both need to meet up out there somehow. I think we'd be able to figure it out.

Did you see my speculations on the road going east out of Moses Coulee? I think I figured it out.

 

-Eric

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Barbed telephone wires *did* exist. If you're in doubt, give a call to the Devil's Rope Museum in Adrian, Texas.

 

Or just go here: http://www.texasescapes.com/DelbertTrew/Ba...-Telephones.htm

Same guy. :)

 

Hard to say if this was one (couldn't it also be telegraph?), but would be fun to follow it. They definitely had telephones (or telegraphs) at the old Post Office, so the line very well could lead there.

 

Dave, I think we both need to meet up out there somehow. I think we'd be able to figure it out.

Did you see my speculations on the road going east out of Moses Coulee? I think I figured it out.

 

-Eric

 

Eric,

 

I have gotten lost regarding posts in the last week. Our daughter lost the lower part of her right leg (she is doing well) so we have been at the hospital, and between times I have been trying to juggle things at home, post the scouting NPH trip, and keep up with the forum.

 

I think you are right about access to Moses Coulee from the east, but I also think (I haven’t checked my GPS readings) your point A is where the locked gate is. Perhaps the farmer would let us through, but I would need that scooter to make a scout!

 

You don’t have to wait for me. It would be fun to do something together, but I’m happy if you nail it. Just take photos!

 

I am also very interested in your image of the paved road to the left on the west side! Could that be the start of “my” alternate route? I didn’t see it, but it sounds like the left hand fork of the fork at the top of the coulee in the ABB.

 

I think I mentioned that the Yellowstone Trail Guide of 1935 cites Spencer. I wanted to get into the museum at Waterville, and left a message to that effect before my trip, but no return call. My fallback is the State Library here in Olympia. They have some old Medsker’s (local map company) back to the 20’s in some cases. If they have Douglas County that far back, we can nail Spencer.

 

I have a few more goodies to share, including one that has the NPH going through Index! You thought that was the case, and it is!! More about that as I get the time.

 

As an aside, did you see the post from Berwyn Andrus in my Motor Men of 1917 thread? Now that is a gem!!! Talk about your serendipity! I hope it pans out. Ara wants to put together a group for this Fall.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Dave,

I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter. Glad to hear she's doing well though.

 

Oh believe me, if I can get away, I shall! Hopefully soon, but we shall see.

 

So you're saying that the gate could be on H RD? Or do you mean that it blocks where 1 RD used to go? Hopefully access can be gained. But some scouting around on Sulphur Springs Road could help as well.

 

The paved road very well could be the start of the older alignment. The weird thing about it was that the pavement looked to be of the same vintage of the "main" road. Also, I couldn't tell where it went. It seemed to disappear. I wasn't looking for an alternate alignment, so I assumed it was just a slight rerouting or possibly part of a four-lane (which now seems silly).

 

Is the museum in Waterville only open by appointment?

 

I did see the post in question. I went through Monument Valley for the first time last year, but know very little about it other than "ohhhh pretty!" :) It will really be exciting to see what he's got to say though. It's a bit too far away for a whole new obsession, but still well worth a bit of salivation.

 

And as for Index... how? My speculation was that it did, but I had no idea how. I'm assuming it used the "Goldbar-Index" road, but that "ends" at the tracks. Did it cross and then continue on Reiter RD? Wow.. was Reiter Road the original road? That's exciting! How did it fully go from Index to Goldbar? That's pretty neat.

 

And where did it go east after Index? Back down the river to modern US 2?

 

It doesn't take much to make my day.

 

-Eric

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Dave, I just wanted to chime in to say that I am very much enjoying everything you're writing about lately. I've been pretty distracted with life here and haven't given thorough and proper replies to everything you've written! I am very sorry to hear about your daughter's difficulties. I hope you're holding up all right with it all as much as I hope she is as well. I look forward to more from you about the NPH as you are able.

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