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Us 36 In Western Indiana


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I had Memorial Day unexpectedly to myself this year, so I piled into my car with a stack of maps printed from Windows Live Local and headed west down US 36 to Rockville, seeing as many segments of old alignments as I could find along the way. I started at US 36's original eastern terminus at old US 40 in Indianapolis and, from there, saw two covered bridges, a two-mile segment of a dirt/gravel road, and watched old US 36 go into a lake on one side and come out the other.

 

As I was researching the trip for my writeup, I learned that an older alignment of the old Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway followed the general path of US 36 through here. The PP-OO's path looked a lot more jagged than US 36's, even on my 1927 map, so it's hard telling what parts of US 36 or the old alignments I found were part of the PP-OO. But it is satisfying to think that travellers have passed through this corridor for at least 90 years.

 

Read all about it at www.jimgrey.net/Roads/US36West.

 

Peace,

jim

Edited by mobilene
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I had Memorial Day unexpectedly to myself this year, so I piled into my car with a stack of maps printed from Windows Live Local and headed west down US 36 to Rockville, seeing as many segments of old alignments as I could find along the way. I started at US 36's original western terminus at old US 40 in Indianapolis and, from there, saw two covered bridges, a two-mile segment of a dirt/gravel road, and watched old US 36 go into a lake on one side and come out the other.

 

As I was researching the trip for my writeup, I learned that an older alignment of the old Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway followed the general path of US 36 through here. The PP-OO's path looked a lot more jagged than US 36's, even on my 1927 map, so it's hard telling what parts of US 36 or the old alignments I found were part of the PP-OO. But it is satisfying to think that travellers have passed through this corridor for at least 90 years.

 

Read all about it at www.jimgrey.net/Roads/US36West.

 

Peace,

jim

 

In the early 1990's I used to go over to Decatur, IL, to visit friends. Many times, rather than use the Interstate west out of Indianapolis, I would take 36. It is very pretty out to the IN/IL line - but it's a bowling alley from there to Decatur!!!! LOL Made as good time on 36 as I could on I-74/72.

 

And, yes, I did stop one time in Dana to see the Ernie Pyle home/museum/memorials. Quite a reporter was Ernie - he earned total and complete respect from all military men during his WWII reporting days, and that is rare for a reporter. He rests among his comrades at the National Memorial Cemetary on Oahu.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

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Great trip, Jim! One of these days we'll have to hook up for some road sleuthing. Just some observations from your web site:

 

--I remember when the 4-lane alignment of 36 between Avon and Danville was built, around 1980, give or take a couple years. My grandma is buried out in Hendricks County in North Salem, so Danville was usually part of our route. **NOTE**: For a fun little 10 mile or so drive, head north on IN-39 from Danville and then take IN-236 west into North Salem. Reward your completion of your drive with some tasty grub at the Red Dog Saloon in N. Salem! Fun little road that's twisty and some rolling hills. Good views of farm country out there. As for where Old 36 blends back in with New 36, you are correct that the strip of grass is where Old 36 made a westerly curve. You can still see part of that on your map with the little culdesac there.

 

--As for the gravel section near Bellmore, *likely* it was an alignment of 36 that was never paved. Based on my experience with "Dirt 66" out in Texas, many sections of US highways in their infant years were unpaved and continued to be so until 1. they were paved, or 2. a new, paved alignment was built, thus abandoning the unpaved alignment. I suspect this is the case with the Bellmore alignment.

 

I don't know if you have any interest at all in Route 66, but even if you don't, I'd highly suggest you grab a copy of the video "Bones of the Old Road". Jim Ross & Jerry McClanahan do a great job of exploring old, forgotten alignments of 66. It'll give you the bug to go searching for more abandoned stuff! You can purchase it from Jim via his website: http://www.66maps.com/products.html

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I had Memorial Day unexpectedly to myself this year, so I piled into my car with a stack of maps printed from Windows Live Local and headed west down US 36 to Rockville, seeing as many segments of old alignments as I could find along the way. I started at US 36's original western terminus at old US 40 in Indianapolis and, from there, saw two covered bridges, a two-mile segment of a dirt/gravel road, and watched old US 36 go into a lake on one side and come out the other.

 

As I was researching the trip for my writeup, I learned that an older alignment of the old Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway followed the general path of US 36 through here. The PP-OO's path looked a lot more jagged than US 36's, even on my 1927 map, so it's hard telling what parts of US 36 or the old alignments I found were part of the PP-OO. But it is satisfying to think that travellers have passed through this corridor for at least 90 years.

 

Read all about it at www.jimgrey.net/Roads/US36West.

 

Peace,

jim

 

Jim,

 

It looks like you hit a responsive note!

 

Like DennyG’s latest post, I’m reading yours a day or two at a time, and I am enjoying your writing and photos.

 

Your comment about the man trimming his hedge in your write - up fits a “profound” observation I made yesterday on Denny’s post. It is the people of American that you meet along the way that makes two lane travel unique.

 

I have an original mid 1920’s Pike Peak Ocean to Ocean (great name) Highway guide around here somewhere. It will be fun to see what it has to say about the section you are covering.

 

It is very satisfying to see someone identify the PPOO as a routine matter. Twenty or twenty five years ago when I got serious about my fascination with the old roads and auto trails it was a lonely interest indeed. I was pleased to “discover” an old roadside artifact on some forgotten auto trail, but disappointed no on else cared.

 

And if anyone did care back then, we had no way to identify each other. Now it is almost impossible to keep up with the interest and activity. I am delighted to have the opportunity to enjoy your knowledge and expertise. Keep it coming!

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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As I've mentioned before, I intend to someday drive US-36 end to end so I'm interested in your report for future use. I'm not nearly the sleuth that you (and Pat and others) are so I doubly appreciate the work you've done in digging out those old alignments so that I can someday breeze along them. Nicely done.

 

Although officially a "Lincoln Highway guy", Ohio's Mike Buettner has done some very nice articles on other roads including the PP-OO. If you haven't already seen it, you may find http://www.lincolnhighwayoh.com/pikespeak.html useful even with its Ohio lean. Heck, it might even lure you over the state line.

 

Alex's Ernie Pyle comment triggered another thought and gives me another opening. I drove the currently signed US-36 west of Indianapolis last fall and stopped at the museum in Dana. While there, I was surprised to learn that Ernie had already achieved fame as a travel writer before the war. When I mentioned that fact and my surprise to my parents, their reaction was along the lines of "I thought everybody knew that". I picked up a small "best of" volume of his columns at the museum and have since acquired a used copy of a much larger collection. I've yet to tackle the bigger book. What I have read includes articles on the southwest (where his travels were concentrated) and Indiana. They're quite interesting tales of the roads and the people and places beside them. Ernie was one of us.

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Thanks, guys, for the nice feedback. It sure feels nice to share here and have people of like mind respond. Most of my friends in RL say, "US 36. Welllll. I'm sure you had a very nice time."

 

I love to explore, I love to research, and I love to imagine what life was like before. I was born with these proclivities, as far as I can tell, and I have found great pleasure in them all my life. I get to do them all when I go looking for where the road used to go.

 

Mr. Keep the Show on the Road, I'm still fairly young -- I turn 40 in August -- and I've fully come to the road hobby only of late. I can't imagine what this hobby must have been like 20-25 years ago when you were out there finding your way. With just a little bit of effort on the Internet, I've found all of you, all the old maps I can stand thanks to eBay, information about sleuthing methods, and even writeups of others' road trips to pave my future trips (so to speak) ... pretty much anything I could want to explore America's roads. I've had Internet access for 18 years, but this level of information hasn't been available until fairly recently, maybe the last 5 years, I'd guess.

 

I do have a story from back then. I was driving US 40 westbound east of Columbus, Ohio, when suddenly I found the highway buried under a hill, atop which sat I-70! Here's a post I made to rec.autos in 1994 about that encounter: click here. Nobody in the Usenet groups seemed to know anything about this road then. Over time, I started to wonder if I'd really seen what I saw! But a couple months ago, I found photos of it on the Internet, at http://www.roadfan.com/national.html (search for Morristown on the page). You can imagine my excitement! When I drove it probably 17 or 18 years ago, the road was still in top shape, and there was a guardrail down the center of the road that ran right into the hill on which I-70 was built.

 

Oh, and that 1920s PP-OO guide might not involve what is now US 36, since in the 1920s I understand that the road was routed to avoid pretty much every major city along its route. Maps I saw online show PP-OO going through Crawfordsville, which is a bit north of US 36.

 

Denny, it would be my real pleasure if you were one day to drive those old segments now that I've pointed them out. I've found plenty of old segments because of the earlier work of others and I would be pleased to be a part of that chain of shared knowledge. Thanks for the link to Mike Buettner's site. BTW, I have crossed over into Ohio a few times. I drove US 35 to West Virginia in 1990 -- I guess they rerouted it since then, but when I was on it we stopped at the Bob Evans farm for dinner, and then crossed into my dad's home state of West Virginia. And I really enjoyed a drive I made along US 33 between Columbus and South Bend in 1993, I think.

 

Alex, I've been no farther than Chrisman, IL on US 36, but in my opinion the character changes to bowling alley at about SR 63 in Indiana.

 

Pat, I'll make a note to visit that saloon in North Salem! I adore those twisty little drives you can find in unexpected places in Indiana sometimes. Thanks for confirming my hunch about how old 36 used to flow just before downtown Danville. The perfectly curved segment of grass, bordered by trees on both sides, visible in the satellite map sure seemed like a big clue. I was kind of figuring that the Bellore alignment was decommissioned when the paved segment just south was built. I'd like to go see US 66 one day and will check out the resources you linked to. I'm up for a drive any time we can coordinate our schedules.

 

Thanks, everybody, for reading my trip writeup!

 

Peace,

jim

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Referring to your site and the road west from Groveland:

 

I think you can be certain that the left fork out of Groveland is the old road. The 1917 Automobile Blue Book for Indiana says “Caution for turn around cemetery” at .5 miles west of Groveland. Clearly the cemetery is on the segment you identify as the old one, and at .5 miles west to boot. To cinch it, the 1917 book says the mileage between Groveland and Bainbridge is 5.6 miles. I measured it as 5.58 miles on your segment. Close enough for me!! Oh, the joy!!

 

BTY, if you want the 1917 (or earlier) turn by turn directions for this or your anticipated trip, I’ll scan them and post them. Incidentally, The 1917 ABB says this road was much better than the National Road in 1917.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

Edited by Keep the Show on the Road!
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How cool! See, now, I'm willing to post my educated guesses about what is an old alignment, but it is just awesome that you have confirmed this one!

 

I'd love to see the turn-by-turns from the 1917 ABB. I may have to look on eBay or something for one of these books.

 

jim

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How cool! See, now, I'm willing to post my educated guesses about what is an old alignment, but it is just awesome that you have confirmed this one!

 

I'd love to see the turn-by-turns from the 1917 ABB. I may have to look on eBay or something for one of these books.

 

jim

 

Your educated guesses are excellent! I just feel privileged that I can make a contribution while learning myself. When I said, “Oh, the joy,” I wasn’t kidding.

 

It is nice that my materials serve a useful purpose! I could never travel 1/1000 of the old roads myself, so my collection sits gathering dust much of the time. I bought these things over the years with some vague notion that I would use them, and now I am!

 

With a couple of you “young bucks” out there doing the field work, I am motivated to get this stuff out of boxes and onto book shelves. Then I will have a ready reference library that might help.

 

Automobile Blue Books can get pricy and some aren’t worth buying for your purposes. When you think about buying Automobile Blue Books, keep in mind that once the highways were systematically numbered, the books lost their purpose. By the early to mid 1920’s they were increasingly non detailed because the main roads were increasingly self evident on the ground.

 

ARGroveland1.jpg

ARGroveland2.jpg

ARDanville1913.jpg

 

Anyway, here is the route between Indianapolis and Terre Haute in 1917 that I used earlier. Below that I added the route in 1913 as far as Rockville. It was interesting to me because it mentions covered bridges and a couple of businesses along the way, which are fun to spot. It didn’t note Groveland, and I note that the mileage between Indianapolis and Rockville differs by .8 miles. Ah, the mysteries of the old road!

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Jim,

I forgot a pretty useful tool for here in Marion County from the IndyGov web site. It's called the "General Data Viewer". It's basically a Terra Server thing, but the great part is they have "layers" that date back as far as 1937! It's been very useful in researching old alignments as well as some old motels & other structures throughout Marion County. It's a little tricky to get to the old aerial pix, but here's the link for you to spend HOURS on: http://imaps.indygov.org/prod/GeneralViewer/viewer.htm

Let me know if you need any tips on navigating it.

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KTSOTR, I find those guidebook scans to be pretty exciting, actually. As I follow the paths they recommend, I can see those roads as they are today in my head. In the second one, at 3.7 mi, it says, "Fork, bear right, leaving National Road. Go under RR 4.2 ..."

 

What this suggests to me is that this is directing drivers to branch off at where Rockville Ave. branches off, since it involves going under the RR, not at Rockville Road, which avoids it altogether. Maybe Rockville Road didn't exist then? That idea excites me. It looks kind of "tacked on," after all, on the satellite map.

 

I also find it verrrry interesting that the guidebook said the best route to Terre Haute was through Rockville. That's madness today; I-70 gets you directly there in an hour. And it supports assertions I've heard that the National Road was iffy in spots through Indiana as funding ran out for its construction. Sounds like, for whatever reason, the PP-OO route out of Indy was better built or maintained or whatever.

 

I found it interesting that the route between Rockville and Terre Haute did not involve any of what is or was US 41, not until it reached North Terre Haute, at least, and Lafayette Ave, and later where it said to bear left onto 7th St. I've driven some or all of that route between TH and Rosedale a few times. It's all farm roads out there, mostly (if not entirely) paved. What's REALLY interesting to me is that, among all the "5 corners" mentioned along Lafayette Road, there's no mention of a "12 corners" or "12 points," an intersection of a bunch of streets along Lafayette Ave. that creates 12 corners there. I used to live in the 12 Points neighborhood in Terre Haute, in a house three blocks away that existed at the time of this Guidebook! Maybe 12 Points wasn't so difficult to figure out and didn't need to be brought up.

 

Pat, thanks for the link to the General Data Viewer. I looked up the house I had when I was married (just behind Broadmoor CC at Kessler/Cooper) on the 1956 map and was surprised by how much of the surrounding neighborhoods didn't exist yet. That thing is a little tricky to use, you're right. When I get some time I'll look up the property of the church I attend, which has been there since 1839. I'm told that there was nothing, but nothing, around it until about 10-15 years ago.

 

Peace,

jim

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Jim,

I forgot a pretty useful tool for here in Marion County from the IndyGov web site. It's called the "General Data Viewer". It's basically a Terra Server thing, but the great part is they have "layers" that date back as far as 1937! It's been very useful in researching old alignments as well as some old motels & other structures throughout Marion County. It's a little tricky to get to the old aerial pix, but here's the link for you to spend HOURS on: http://imaps.indygov.org/prod/GeneralViewer/viewer.htm

Let me know if you need any tips on navigating it.

 

Roadmavern,

 

Interesting map overlays. Wouldn't it be great to have them for a larger area!

 

It was fun to see the development west of the city over the years.

 

Do you know of any on line historic topos for Indiana?

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Roadmavern,

 

Interesting map overlays. Wouldn't it be great to have them for a larger area!

 

It was fun to see the development west of the city over the years.

 

Do you know of any on line historic topos for Indiana?

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

If they exist, I'm not aware of them. But then again, there's a lot I'm not aware of. :lol: It's amazing on the newer photos on that site how close you can zoom in and the clarity when you do. My yard looked a little tall that day. :cheers2:

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Your educated guesses are excellent! I just feel privileged that I can make a contribution while learning myself. When I said, “Oh, the joy,” I wasn’t kidding.

 

It is nice that my materials serve a useful purpose! I could never travel 1/1000 of the old roads myself, so my collection sits gathering dust much of the time. I bought these things over the years with some vague notion that I would use them, and now I am!

 

With a couple of you “young bucks” out there doing the field work, I am motivated to get this stuff out of boxes and onto book shelves. Then I will have a ready reference library that might help.

 

Automobile Blue Books can get pricy and some aren’t worth buying for your purposes. When you think about buying Automobile Blue Books, keep in mind that once the highways were systematically numbered, the books lost their purpose. By the early to mid 1920’s they were increasingly non detailed because the main roads were increasingly self evident on the ground.

 

ARGroveland1.jpg

ARGroveland2.jpg

ARDanville1913.jpg

 

Anyway, here is the route between Indianapolis and Terre Haute in 1917 that I used earlier. Below that I added the route in 1913 as far as Rockville. It was interesting to me because it mentions covered bridges and a couple of businesses along the way, which are fun to spot. It didn’t note Groveland, and I note that the mileage between Indianapolis and Rockville differs by .8 miles. Ah, the mysteries of the old road!

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

I have a number of these guidebooks - sometimes they are a bit hard to follow. I have them for most sections of the country; New England and northeast states out to Illlinois seem to have been the most numerous. I have two southeastern states (east coast to the Mississippi River south of Maryland to Illinois) - took me a long time to find those.

I have a Goodyear - or is it Goodrich, whatever - from 1918, northern New England. Try following those directions. Then on up the line I have 1922-1923, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932-1933 and 1933 ALA green books, all Northeastern. The Southeastern states are 1936 and 1938. Finally I have 1941 Vol 1, Northeastern and 1941 Vol II Western states AAA books.

The earlier ones are of interest as they list the state and U S Highways in both the US and Canada, along with listings of various signs that were used back in the day.

Very interesting - especially the ads.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

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Alex,

 

A nice collection! You are right, the ads are also interesting. I like to compare them “then and now” whenever I spot an old business building or landmark they note that still exists.

 

The availability of old ABB’s is directly inverse to the distance from New York. I threw that “directly inverse” in there to confuse casual readers and prove I completed high school. What did he say?!! The further you get from NY, the harder they are to find.

 

The pride of my collection is a 1912 for the west, when there were no real roads across country.

 

The ABB’s aren’t always easy to follow because what was evident if you were on the road in say 1917 wasn’t noted, but may be important 90 years later. None the less, they are fascinating, and I use them all the time. They often are the only source available with any detail at all.

 

Mobilene , I should mention that I can probably provide similar material for your upcoming trips if you give me some details as to starting points, routes, and ending points. I also have what is called the TIB Guide with more maps, and may have a Hobbs Guide. Sometimes the TIB has strip maps, and the Hobbs lists accommodations and the like.

 

And I should add that occasionally the reverse of a Blue Book route will reveal a fork or landmark not cited in the other direction, so if you get stymied, let me know and I will send the reverse route.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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This may get a little esoteric, but since I was looking for, and found some 1800s and early 1900’s maps of Indiana on line, let me share a bit.

 

There was in 1898, and no doubt before, a wagon road running pretty much directly east and west through Rockville, Belmore, Hollandsburg, and Morton in Parke County. .

 

There is also a road, going due west in 1909 through Hendricks county through Avon, Dansville and New Winchester, which when leaving Indianapolis on an 1899 map is referred to as the “Old Danville State Road” (Not the National Road)

 

Next I found an 1879 atlas of Putnam County which clearly shows your road from the county line to Bainbridge and west, including the section past the cemetery we were discussing.

 

So it certainly appears that US 36 has a long history, no doubt worthy of more study.

 

The maps are on at the following links. Search on the county name and on Indianapolis to find the specific maps. It is a wonderful site for early Indiana maps. It fact, it is a great site for things Indiana. It seldom gets better, and I think I know.

 

http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/HIM/

 

and

 

http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/HistAtlas/

 

These are both at the IUPIU University Library.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Wow, KTSOTR, you are one researching machine! This is a fabulous resource.

 

It's not surprising that US 36 was built on existing roads, but to see proof of that is fascinating.

 

The question I always have is: At what point did the road cease to be a convenience for the people who lived there, and instead become the reason people settled?

 

Thanks for finding these great resources.

 

jim

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Wow, KTSOTR, you are one researching machine! This is a fabulous resource.

 

It's not surprising that US 36 was built on existing roads, but to see proof of that is fascinating.

 

The question I always have is: At what point did the road cease to be a convenience for the people who lived there, and instead become the reason people settled?

 

Thanks for finding these great resources.

 

jim

 

The IUPIU University Library site is really exceptional and Indiana folks are lucky to have it. It has lots of goodies beyond the maps.

 

The research thing is my winter forte, when the weather is lousy in the Northwest. But I enjoy discovering things like the IUPIU University Library site anytime. Hester_nec has suggested a section on the forum for links, and I would nominate this as one of those that should be listed.

 

I really, really want to speculate a bit in regard to your question, but it would lead into a long discussion of road history, waterways, railroads, streetcars, interurbans, and who built and maintained roads, and organized road development. For now I better just enjoy your road adventures, stifle my “academic” leanings, and plan a road trip of my own!

 

Don’t I recall you are planning a National Road trip? I have a book written in the early 1900’s around here somewhere that describes the old taverns and stops along the road, which back then were rapidly disappearing. I would love to see some photos of some places that might have survived, in one form or another. And I think one of our top road trip gurus, DennyG ,is a National Road expert, so you might want to rattle his chain also.

 

Looking forward to your further road adventures.....

 

Let’s Keep the Show on the Road!

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Yes, I am planning an Illinois National Road / US 40 trip (Indiana line to Vandalia), July 7th, with a friend who digs the National Road too. If there's a way for you to get me info from your book, I'd love to look for at least some of the stops and see what I can photograph for you. I haven't begun to research that trip yet beyond some cursory flythrus on Windows Live Local -- maybe this weekend.

 

jim

 

Oh, and by the way, I spent my spare time this morning looking at the IUPUI maps and barely made a dent... I work for a software company and my work involves automated testing of the software we make. Today, I'm executing some automated tests, and except for checking results and starting the next test there's not much else I can do, so it's a great day for looking at maps two or three minutes at a time in between. jim

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Yes, I am planning an Illinois National Road / US 40 trip (Indiana line to Vandalia), July 7th...

I wish I could give you a long list of interesting stops in this section but only a couple come to mind. Greenup, with its balconies, is an eye catcher and the historical society there is worth a stop, too. I've stopped twice and found some very friendly people both times. Downtown Marshall, which is the only spot between Indiana and Vandalia that Stewart photographed in 1953, also deserves a look if only to see how it has or hasn't changed in 54 years. Frank Brusca has a neat 43 year comparison here. (The 1950 & 1996 photos are misbehaving but the animated version seems to be OK.) The section does mark both the physical and the financial end of the National Road and maybe that's why it doesn't have a lot of "A List" road side attractions. But it does have some very nice two lane and you sleuths may uncover some old National Road or US-40 alignments that have some real pizzazz. It is part of the Historic National Road Scenic Byway so you might find something of interest on that site and, of course, I have to point you toward my own drives in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Looking forward to hearing about your discoveries.

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Thanks for the links, Denny! Even though I lived just on the Indiana side of the line, within spitting distance of US 40, for 9 years, I've never driven the road into Illinois! I'm going in with little idea of what I'll find. That's both exciting and daunting!

 

Hey, I'll be in the Cincy area on the 4th for the big to-do in Blue Ash. (Heart is playing; I'm a big Heart fan. 4th time seeing them.) If I wore a hat, I'd tip it to you as I drove in. I'll be driving US 52 into town rather than I-74, of course.

 

jim

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The IUPIU University Library site is really exceptional and Indiana folks are lucky to have it. It has lots of goodies beyond the maps.

 

The research thing is my winter forte, when the weather is lousy in the Northwest. But I enjoy discovering things like the IUPIU University Library site anytime. Hester_nec has suggested a section on the forum for links, and I would nominate this as one of those that should be listed.

 

 

Let’s Keep the Show on the Road!

 

 

Don't know if you've checked out our Resources page on the American Road website -- but, it has quite a compilation of Road sites, in addition to other travel resources that might prove useful on a road trip (how to locate the nearest emergency vet, where to find the nearest hospital, etc.). The link to the Resources page is:

 

https://americanroadmagazine.com/resources/resources.html

 

As long as they meet the criteria, we can post the links to the other sites and make it a really useful repository of road sites for everyone. Any sites that you would like to nominate for posting there would be reviewed by our intern (non other than Jennifer's daughter, Amber - a future road scholar!) and posted. I'll get back to you in another post on the best way to get the nominated site information to Amber (I need to talk with her and Jennifer first to see what will work best).

 

Keep those ideas coming!

:D B

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Yes, I am planning an Illinois National Road / US 40 trip (Indiana line to Vandalia), July 7th, with a friend who digs the National Road too. If there's a way for you to get me info from your book, I'd love to look for at least some of the stops and see what I can photograph for you. I haven't begun to research that trip yet beyond some cursory flythrus on Windows Live Local -- maybe this weekend.

 

jim

 

First, thanks for the offer!

 

The book I was thinking of is “The Old Pike, a History of the National Road” by Thomas B Searight, 1897 I looked in it today and he ends his coverage basically at Indianapolis. So thanks again for the offer, but I drew a blank.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing your write up! The National Road and US 40 are on my to do list.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Yes, I am planning an Illinois National Road / US 40 trip (Indiana line to Vandalia), July 7th, with a friend who digs the National Road too. If there's a way for you to get me info from your book, I'd love to look for at least some of the stops and see what I can photograph for you. I haven't begun to research that trip yet beyond some cursory flythrus on Windows Live Local -- maybe this weekend.

 

Mobilene,

 

Here is a set of 1916 maps for your National Road Trip July 7. No doubt you have several guides already, but it is sometimes fun to include a period guide. TIB was mid west based (Kansas City) and did some fair strip maps. This copy is a little rough, but you use what you can find!

 

Have a great trip and post photos, story, and discoveries!

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

PS Note I am now THE MODERATOR for US Highways and Auto Trails (this section). I expect some respect!!! :P

 

You are as qualified as I am to do the moderator thing for US Highways and Auto Trails. Why don’t you volunteer and we can share duties (and the fame!!). Seriously (not that fame part).

 

BTW, Roadmavern commented to me in an e-mail today how much he appreciated your contributions to the forum. He may not have said that directly to you. I always say the most sincere form of compliment is the one you hear second hand, and I second his comment.

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Edited by Keep the Show on the Road!
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