West Wendover in Elko County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Lincoln Highway

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2016

1. Lincoln Highway Marker

Inscription. In 1912, roads were dirt, bumpy and dusty in dry weather; impassable in wet weather. Asphalt and concrete roads were yet to come. To get from coast-to-coast, it was much easier to take the train. The Lincoln Highway Association conceived the first improved automobile road across the United States of America. Inspired by the Good Roads Movement, the Lincoln Highway ran from Time Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, traversing 14 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. This paved the way for the development of a nationwide highway network that is now unsurpassed. As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to hundreds of cities, towns, and villages along the way. The first officially recorded mileage in 1913 was 3,389 miles; by 1924 the road was improved and realigned, covering only 3,142 miles. A road was “improved” if it was just graded; few even had gravel in the early years of the association. One of the hardest fought realignments took

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place in the deserts of Utah, west of Salt Lake City. A new route, the Goodyear Cutoff, was surveyed, and prepared for construction by the Lincoln Highway Association. The Utah State government promoted a route directly west of Salt Lake City to Wendover, Nevada, as the route to San Francisco. This course crossed miles of salt desert, which was often submerged under water. The Wendover road, favored by Utah, was part of another named highway, the Victory Highway. Like the Lincoln, it claimed New York and San Francisco as its endpoints. Northern Californians favored the Victory for economic reasons; travelers along the Victory would almost certainly end their trips in San Francisco.

Lincoln Highway Markers
The association ceased activity at the end of 1927. Its last major activity was to mark the highway not as a route from one destination to another, but as a memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, the roads namesake. On September 1, 1928, thousands of Boy Scouts fanned out along the highway. At an average of about one monument per mile, 3,000 concrete markers were installed with a small bust of Lincoln and the inscription, “This

Nearby Lincoln Highway Marker Replica image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2016

2. Nearby Lincoln Highway Marker Replica

This replica of the original Commemorative Marker is located one mile east, on the north side of Wendover Boulevard, not far from the Utah-Nevada state line.

highway dedicated to Abraham Lincoln,” were placed along the road from New York City to San Francisco.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Lincoln Highway series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.

Location. 40° 44.442′ N, 114° 4.372′ W. Marker is in West Wendover, Nevada, in Elko County. It can be reached from Wendover Boulevard west of North Gene L. Jones Way, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located along the south side of the Victory Highway Monument Arch walkway, south of the West Wendover Police Department complex parking lot and just north of the giant "Wendover Will" landmark. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1552 Wendover Boulevard, West Wendover NV 89883, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Elko Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Lincoln Highway Marker (<i>wide view; Wendover Boulevard in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2016

3. Lincoln Highway Marker (wide view; Wendover Boulevard in background)

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Victory Highway (here, next to this marker); Western Pacific Railroad (here, next to this marker); Historic Wendover Field (a few steps from this marker); Ancient Lake Bonneville (a few steps from this marker); Transcontinental Telephone Line (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hastings Cutoff (within shouting distance of this marker); Wendover Will Reclaims Skyline Once Again (within shouting distance of this marker); 509th Composite Group – First Atomic Bombardment (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Wendover.

Also see . . . The Lincoln Highway. The idea of the Lincoln Highway came from the fertile mind of Carl Fisher, the man also responsible for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach. With help from fellow industrialists Frank Seiberling and Henry Joy, an improved, hard-surfaced road was envisioned that would stretch almost 3400 miles from coast to coast, New York to San Francisco, over the shortest practical route. The Lincoln Highway Association was created in 1913

Marker detail: Lincoln Highway Map image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: Lincoln Highway Map

to promote the road using private and corporate donations. The idea was embraced by an enthusiastic public, and many other named roads across the country followed. (Submitted on March 26, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,874 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 25, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 26, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.