Westward, Ho! To Illinois On National Road

[RoadDog]

The March LifeTimes newspaper of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois company featured a pagelong article on the National Road and especially the route in Illinois. It was written by Bill Keefe. It gave a general history of the road, then put its focus on that part in Illinois. Unfortunately, I was not able to come across the URL for it, but it is an interesting read.

 

It said that it originated as a Native American trail and later, part of it became Braddock's Road.

 

US Congress passed a law on March 26, 1806, authorizing the initial stretch between Baltimore and Wheeling, Va. (now WV), and named it the Cumberland Road. Actual construction began in 1811 and the road became known as the National Pike. Its construction continued gradually westward and by the 1820s it was commonly known as National Road.

 

By the 1820s, the Federal government began turning over responsibility for finished sections to state governments. (The same thing happened with the US highway system in 1926.) Travel along the road was heavy. It became the way west for thousands of Americans

 

Work in Illinois began in 1830 and was completed to Vandalia, the capital of Illinois in 1839. Communities grew along its route. The coming of the railroads essentially caused "America's highway" to become a "ghost road."

 

The advent of the automobile starting in the 1890s caused highway construction and maintenance to come into focus again. In 1926, the National Road became a part of US-40. Then, I-70 isolated many of the communities again. Historic Preservation that came about with the US Bicentennial in 1976 brought about a new renaissance.

 

Today, the 22 communities located along the 164-mile long corridor in Illinois are involved in a coordinated effort to make this stretch a must-cruise point of interest. All along it, the state has placed signage that enables a traveller to make the trip, even without a map.

 

The National Road Association of Illinois, NRAI, is a non-profit group working to preserve, protect, and promote the road. It is based in Toledo, Il., but a move to Collinsville in spring is planned.

 

For more info:

 

www.nationalroad.org

 

or contact by phone at 1-888-268-0042.