Lincoln Highway History- Seedling Mile Traditional Geocache
Lincoln Highway History- Seedling Mile
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Ahh yes..another little bit of history for everyone.
Please use caution when parking as there is no designated parking area.
This stretch is one of 6 seedling miles that were established, and the only one in Iowa.
By early 1914, Joy proposed that the association fund and oversee the construction of "seedling miles" as a step in the process of educating communities about the benefits of concrete roads. The first seedling mile was completed near De Kalb, Illinois in the fall of 1914. The ball was rolling with this first tangible permanent improvement undertaken by the Lincoln Highway Association.
The Lincoln Highway Association was barely two years old when groups of travelers set out on their cross-country journeys to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Two of the more well-known groups included Emily Post and Henry B. Joy. The late spring of 1915 was one of the wettest anybody in the Midwest could remember. One chapter in the book documents the trials and experiences of these groups as they proceeded on their trip. In due time, both of these groups made it to their destination. Post documented her experiences in her 1917 book By Motor to the Golden Gate. It is estimated that five to ten thousand autos drove the Lincoln Highway to the fair in 1915.
In July 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Federal Aid Road Act. This act provided money for highway construction and improvement. By the time the United States entered World War I, the Lincoln Highway was popular and passable. The seedling mile program ended in 1919 with exemplary miles built in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio. The public no longer needed convincing about the value of good roads.
**congrats to Bellcurve for FTF!**
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