Chris Rowland Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 This will be different from my past writeups in that in the past, I write it up and that's that. But this will be a living set of Web pages for some time as I find more information and make return trips to experience/photograph things I missed before. Kind of like a living 'reference work'--definitely something I will probably refer to in the future! We're headed northbound out of Indy on the Michigan Road on June 22... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted May 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Be sure to catch Sycamore Row! And if you go through Logansport, I have under high authority that the Char-Bett on SR 25 has fabulous ice cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Burr - hester_nec Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 "I bet with just a little web work you could find several "then" photos for your Michigan Road Guide Book. The same site has a great shot of a car being pulled by oxen through Greensburg…looking for gas….and I bet it was on the Michigan Road!" Pulling a car with an oxen - or mule or horse. Probably be an option real soon, the way gas prices are going up. LOL Hudsonly, Alex Burr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 "I bet with just a little web work you could find several "then" photos for your Michigan Road Guide Book. The same site has a great shot of a car being pulled by oxen through Greensburg…looking for gas….and I bet it was on the Michigan Road!" Pulling a car with an oxen - or mule or horse. Probably be an option real soon, the way gas prices are going up. LOL Hudsonly, Alex Burr Alex, Is an Ox and Gas powered car called a hybrid? Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Rowland Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Is an Ox and Gas powered car called a hybrid? Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Oxen were corn-powered long before Ethanol. Truly ahead of their time. Although I'm not quite sure how clean their exhaust was... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted June 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 I have started writing about the Michigan Road on my Roads pages, http://www.jimgrey.net/Roads/MichiganRoad. I have written about my trip up to Napoleon, Ind. so far. Why read this report when you've already seen the Flickr photostream? Because I've included extra information and old photographs of some of the spots along the route. Normally, when I write up a road trip, that's it, I'm done writing. But I expect that as I find out more about the Michigan Road, I'll be adding to pages I've already written and posted. And I'll keep adding new segments to the writeup as I can. So stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 I have started writing about the Michigan Road on my Roads pages, http://www.jimgrey.net/Roads/MichiganRoad. I have written about my trip up to Napoleon, Ind. so far. Why read this report when you've already seen the Flickr photostream? Because I've included extra information and old photographs of some of the spots along the route. Normally, when I write up a road trip, that's it, I'm done writing. But I expect that as I find out more about the Michigan Road, I'll be adding to pages I've already written and posted. And I'll keep adding new segments to the writeup as I can. So stay tuned. Jim, Wow! I have only gotten as far as Madison Part 1, but what a terrific job! I sensed when you first got interested that the Michigan Road could well be a “hidden” gem, and you are proving it. Your photos and descriptions have me leaning forward in my easy chair and reaching for the car keys! Nothing short of terrific! What a treasure! And your excellent work does the subject justice. I appreciate your care in identifying sources. You are doing some original research and later you and others will want the sources. If I can help let me know. I have a few 1800’s US travel guides, but I have always been disappointed when it comes to finding good citations. None the less, I’ll take a look. Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted June 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thanks Dave! I am sorely tempted to make local copies of my sources given how Internet sites are here today, dead links tomorrow. I'm quietly making copies of the photos I'm finding online, for the same reasons. I figure that the stuff I find online plus what I find on the road as I drive will be all I accomplish this summer. But then I'll want to go visit libraries in counties along the route and find other physical resources to put the story together more. What I'm doing right now is primarily experiential and historical. But I haven't found a solid focus yet, something I could turn into a book. I'd like to do that. I've been published before, albeit while writing computer books -- but at least I do get how publishing works. -- Weather permitting, I plan to drive the MR through Marion County (Indianapolis) over the weekend. There are a couple former communities left along the way, including Wanamaker and Augusta, that were consumed to varying degrees by the city after Unigov merged city and county. There is also a whole lot of malaise along the MR through Indy -- some places I'll be a little worried about my safety if I get out of my car for a photo. jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Photos of the MR through Indianapolis are up and minimally tagged. Sorry, not geotagged yet. That's a dang lot of work. I'll get to it eventually. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilene/sets...57605001968216/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Mobilene I looked at the 1852 map of Indiana at the Library of Congress site and note that the Michigan Road is identified as a “plank road,” apparently a reference to a high grade road that was planked, even though I doubt that the entire road was planked. So perhaps a “plank road” was one that was planked in soft or wet areas, and the term “plank road” is reference to a quality standard. I wonder. Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted June 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Great images, Dave. I'll have to go to the LOC and look them up. According to connerprairie.org: Plank roads, literally the building of a floor of timber as roadways, were once considered a viable solution for transportation problems in the United States. This was especially true in muddy, rural areas where they were looked upon as the perfect answer to providing smooth, dust-free roads. A plank road craze swept Indiana in the early 1850s as builders foresaw a way to provide cheap, efficient toll roads. Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis constructed their first plank roads in 1849 and within two years over 400 hundred miles of the timber highways had been built throughout the state. The plank road phenomenon ebbed before the Civil War due to the rapid deterioration of the roads, insufficient revenues, and competition from railroads. I also read at michigan.gov today that plank roads were primarily used to provide a secure and dust-free road surface, while corduroy (log) roads were laid in soft/wet areas. So who knows, it's possible that much of the MR was planked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Mobilene, Well, I just learned something….I have considered planked and corduroy as interchangeable terms, but now that you have enlightened me, it is obvious why the terms differentiate planks from logs! I guess you could measure the plank roads shown on the map and determine if they exceed 400 miles in total…and thereby decide if a “plank road” was planked for its entire length. But then, what’s the point? But can you imagine the labor in cutting, smoothing, and laying 400 miles of planks? Brutal, nasty, back breaking work…no wonder you were old at 40! And then the wagon traffic tore them up in a season or two. Not surprising that rails were preferred! Oh, and the map is worth your time to peruse. Search for American Memory, once there select maps, and then enter Indianapolis. The last map on the list is the 1853 one I posted. Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennyG Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Plank roads were used in several states. Miller Brewing started in the Plank Road Brewery in Wisconson and a plank road crossed the sands west of Yuma, Arizona, as recently as 1926. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Plank roads were used in several states. Miller Brewing started in the Plank Road Brewery in Wisconson and a plank road crossed the sands west of Yuma, Arizona, as recently as 1926. Denny, Yep...here is a quote about travel on the old desert plank road.... Many fights broke out over who had the right of way which caused traffic jams of eight to ten cars that could not move until the antagonists settled their argument. Quite often it took many hours to back up the jammed cars to a turnout so the other cars could pass. These fights occurred more frequently the farther one traveled down the road. During this period, trips took as long as two days as traffic jams, fights, and weather caused many delays The whole great piece is here: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/70spring/plank.htm Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I always thought plank and corduroy were the same, too, but in hindsight it just doesn't make sense does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Burr - hester_nec Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I always thought plank and corduroy were the same, too, but in hindsight it just doesn't make sense does it? If I remember my nomenclature correctly a "plank" road is just that - a road surface laid down with planks; a corduroy road or log road was made by placing logs perpendicular to the direction of the road. Sand or dirt was sometimes spread over the logs to smooth out the surface - at least until it rained. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 If I remember my nomenclature correctly a "plank" road is just that - a road surface laid down with planks; a corduroy road or log road was made by placing logs perpendicular to the direction of the road. Sand or dirt was sometimes spread over the logs to smooth out the surface - at least until it rained. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN Alex, Jim, Denny, Thanks for the education on plank and corduroy roads! Like many questions the “solution” is self evident once you know the answer! I really think Jim is on to a terrific track in the Michigan Road. His latest “discovery” of the Indiana Historical Magazines on line is a gold mine. I looked over just a few and the stories are great, and illuminating. The articles from 1900 -1920 are especially good. And they will lead to other sources. It won’t match the National Road in the detailed history that is available, but it will be a very worthy subject, and one which has received too little modern attention. I wish I were not so far away because I think it is a project that several of us could collaborate on…if Jim wanted to. Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Kirklin, Indiana, is about a half-mile north of Indianapolis on the Michigan Road. I have more then-and-now shots to post from Kirklin, but not enough time to do it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Kirklin, Indiana, is about a half-mile north of Indianapolis on the Michigan Road. I have more then-and-now shots to post from Kirklin, but not enough time to do it now! Mobilene, Wow, very close! The building on the right with the dome shaped top front is sure the same! I am surprised that it is so undeveloped today just a half mile out of Indianapolis Nice work!! Keep the Show on the Road! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Half-mile pshhh. I meant half-<i>hour</i>. The proprietor of the antique shop currently inhabiting the building with the dome-shaped top, and the proprietors of the two antique stores to the south of it, came out and met me on the sidewalk wondering why I was taking pictures. I showed them the postcard images (which I had printed from eBay) and the one antique dealer said that he had bought most of them. So THAT'S the guy who kept running up the bids on these cards so that I wasn't willing to play anymore! Anyway, they had all lived in Kirklin for many years and lamented its decline. Many of the buildings in the other postcards are simply gone today, but one jewel remains: the Kirklin public library building, a block south of the photo I shared today. I took then-and-now shots of everything and will share them in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Photos from the north edge of Indianapolis through Logansport to the little town of Fulton (almost to Rochester) are up in my Flickr set, though none of them are tagged yet. I'll get to that in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Rowland Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 There are a couple former communities left along the way, including Wanamaker and Augusta, that were consumed to varying degrees by the city after Unigov merged city and county. Inside the meeting room of the Franklin Township Civic League, there is a cool photo of the Pelican Diner (I think that is the name) that used to be in Wanamaker. It had an awesome neon sign. If you need more details about Franklin Township/Wanamaker and the Michigan Road, the Franklin Township Historical Society would be a good resource. I haven't been over there myself yet, but they publish tidbits in our township paper from time to time and would have lots of photos and stories. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks for the tip, Chris -- I didn't know Franklin Twp <i>had</i> a historical society!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 The Aston Inn was built in 1852 along the Michigan Road, then a gravel toll road, to serve travelers on their way in and out of Indianapolis. At that time, the city was still several miles to the south along the road. Today, it is well within the city limits. The National Park Service tells more of the story at http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/travel/india...is/astoninn.htm. This former inn is is about a mile north of my house, and less than a half-mile from the 1840s farmhouse described in an earlier post. I've now geotagged and described photos along the route all the way to downtown Indy, and have geotagged photos from there all the way north to Sycamore Row. The photo set is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilene/sets...57605001968216/. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Rowland Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 I've now geotagged and described photos along the route all the way to downtown Indy, and have geotagged photos from there all the way north to Sycamore Row. The photo set is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobilene/sets...57605001968216/. In your photo set for the toll house you state that the road was owned by gravel companies. That doesn't seem likely to me. Is that based on other research? The sign says "Operated by Augusta Gravel Road Co.", but I don't take that to be a gravel company, but a company incorporated to manage the "Augusta Gravel Road" which is probably how they referred to this section of the Michigan Road between Indianapolis and Augusta. I think it's kind of like today when we handed management of the Indiana Toll Road over to some Australian company, they don't actually 'own' the road, but collect tolls and manage it. But I could be wrong... I'm curious what you may have come across. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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