Catch up on the Byway Buzz

Catch up on the Byway Buzz

Hello byway travelers! You may be wondering where we have been (unless of course, you follow the “Where Was I on the byway” series on social media).

We have been very busy in the byway department. Our former Lincoln Highway Coordinator and now Special Projects Consultant, Shellie Orngard, finished a two-year study on historical structures in the Lincoln Highway Corridor. 

“Many historic properties have been lost over the years, and it is critical that this work be undertaken to avoid losing more… Surveys are a point-in-time snapshot of properties and to ascertain their preservation needs. The end product provides information gathered and includes recommendations for preservation.”

The project was funded in part by the State Historical Society of Iowa, Historical Resource Development Program.

The Survey of National Historic Register Sites, Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa; Final Report, prepared by Shellie Orngard is available now on our website.

We were fortunate to have a student working with us the past several months and we kicked out some “to do” list items.Our student spent time editing a new series, “Tales on the byway.

This is an oral/video history project we are experimenting with to record conversations with people who have lived and worked along the Lincoln Highway Corridor. The video was recorded for the Colo Historical Association and will be played at the Reed Station Museum during open hours.  

The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour App is something we have been spending time getting up and going, and learning about future capabilities. We needed to change the name and online location of the App so that we can expand with future tours featuring recreation areas and the Lincoln Highway once funding can be secured. The new location is: https://seeyouonthebyway.stqry.app

Be sure to use the share icon (square with an arrow) to choose “save site to home screen.”  We continue to make changes and updates to the app as we gather updated information, photos, and links. A great new “Quiz” section will be added in the coming months.

Where Was I on the byway” continues to be the Lincoln Highway Byway theme for Wednesdays on social media and we have added a series to the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway called, “Where Was I on the App”.  This series encourage exploration of the App, the audio tour, and ultimately to visit the communities.

We made much-needed route updates in our source map for the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. Recently, the Iowa Department of Transportation completed the Hwy 30 four-lane from Lisbon to Ogden. With this construction, there were a few changes with how the Lincoln Highway enters and exits the four-lane. We are patiently awaiting new signs to complete the sign updates in Lisbon, Chelsea, and the Ralston Corners area where the route was incorrectly signed several years ago. Continue to reference the Lincoln Highway Map until we can update these sign inconsistencies.

Speaking of road construction (after-all it is spring in Iowa), we have just linked a map to our Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway website that has most of the summer/fall road construction locations marked along our updated route. We have been experimenting with the My Google Maps and trying to see how we can add information with a limited number of layers, so note that the layers in this map are still a work in-progress.

Those are the highlights of what the byway team has been up to since January. We continue to be involved with the Reed-Niland Corner’s progression with developing preservation guidelines and the development of the Reed-Niland Corner non-profit. We are working with the City of Tama regarding the Lincoln Highway Bridge. An alternate vehicular route has been constructed around the bridge. We need an inspection to move forward.

June will keep us busy again with the Preserve Iowa Summit, where Shellie and Jeanie will be a part of the round-table presentations and discussion on June 7th.

We are looking forward to the Lincoln Highway Association’s Middle Third Tour through Iowa, June 19th-21st, with overnight stays in Cedar Rapids and Ames. 

We will be hosting a viewing of the Iowa PBS Road Trip Iowa Lincoln Highway episodes on June 19th at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre with special guest, Kelsey Kramer. Kelsey is the producer of the eastern Iowa episodes. This event is FREE to attend and is open to the public. Shows begin at 9:30 with a discussion with Kelsey to follow.

Also during the tour, the  Iowa Lincoln Highway Association President, Mary Preston, will be at the Cedar Rapids evening Tour stop and Joyce Ausberger is hosting lunch at the Lincoln Highway Museum on June 21st.  All are welcome to travel along; only those on the tour can attend meals.

And then it is off to Ogallala for the Lincoln Highway Association Conference, where we will be taking the traveling exhibit, “Promise Road, How the Lincoln Highway Changed America.”– There is still time to register!

And with that….I will see you on the byway!

All my best,

Jeanie

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway A National Scenic Byway
Road Trip Iowa IPBS
IPBS Road Trip Iowa Spring 2025: The Lincoln Highway Episodes

IPBS Road Trip Iowa Spring 2025: The Lincoln Highway Episodes

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway A National Scenic Byway

The Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway- A National Scenic Byway will be showcased by Iowa Public Television during Season 2 of the Road Trip Iowa Series. Episodes will premiere weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and will repeat on Saturdays at 9 a.m. on Iowa PBS. The program will also be available to stream on demand on iowapbs.org and on the PBS app.

Road Trip Iowa IPBS

 

AIR DATE

EPISODE NUMBER

ROAD TRIP IOWA – S2 EPISODE ORDER

4/9

201

Driftless Area Scenic Byway

4/16

202

River Bluffs Scenic Byway

4/23

203

Loess Hills National Scenic Byway North

4/30

204

Loess Hills National Scenic Byway South

5/7

205

Grant Wood Scenic Byway

5/14

206

Historic Hills Scenic Byway

5/21

207

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway East

5/28

208

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway East-Central

6/4

209

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Central

6/11

210

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway West

Be sure to catch the

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway | Iowa PBS

from Season 1! 

IPBS Iowa Valley Episode Season 1
A New Memorial to Lincoln for 2025

A New Memorial to Lincoln for 2025

10 millionth Ford photo by Greene County Historical Society 2024

Hello from the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway- A National Scenic Byway and the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway. We have had an exciting year on the byways. The Ten Millionth Model-T Ford  celebrated a 100-year Anniversary by trekking across the country and stopped at many of our beloved locations. 

 

10 millionth Ford
Big Boy union pacific railroad

And who could forget the Big Boy Steam Locomotive No 4014 and Jay Leno jumping on to film an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage? How many of you were fortunate enough drive beside the Big Boy along the Lincoln Highway? So how can 2025 compare those exciting events?

On February 17th, Presidents Day, the Union Pacific Railroad unveiled their newest commemorative locomotive. The Abraham Lincoln No 1616 – a symbolic tribute to the nation’s 16th president. The Abraham Lincoln Locomotive will, “travel the rails, serving as a traveling ambassador and participating in community events and education programs that highlight the historic role of railroads in American’s growth and its continued contribution to our country, communities and economy,” said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena. Read the complete press release and see the limited edition poster.

The Abraham Lincoln No 1616 advertisement

Lincoln in Council Bluffs

In 1859, before our 16th President was elected an Illinois State Senator, he made a trip to Council Bluffs to purchase land to use as collateral for a personal loan (17 plots between 9th and 16th Ave).

Lincoln and Dodge in Council Bluffs Iowa

While in Council Bluffs, Mr Lincoln met with General Grenville Dodge, a Civil War veteran who had moved his family to Council Bluffs.  During his trip Dodge convinced Lincoln that the eastern terminus for the first Transcontinental Railroad should start in Council Bluffs and head west to the Pacific.

Lincoln and Cabinet

In 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act creating the railroad that connected the eastern and western United States.  

postcard of lincoln monument in council bluffs iowa

In 1911, Council Bluffs built an obelisk Lincoln Monument overlooking the Missouri Valley west of the historic Fairview Cemetery where the meeting between Dodge and Lincoln took place.

More Memorials

In 1913, when Carl Fisher, Frank Seiberling, and Henry Joy were just finishing up the planning of the first improved Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway, they decided that naming the road after Abraham Lincoln would be both a tribute and would give great patriotic appeal to the highway. The town of Jefferson, Iowa was the first to build a statue of Abraham Lincoln along the new highway in 1918. Memorials to the president have since been plentiful across Iowa and the United States along the Lincoln Highway and now the Railroad!

Lincoln Statue in Jefferson Iowa

Lincoln Locomotive Poster by the Union Pacific Railroad. 

Iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge is Protected by Alternate Route

Iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge is Protected by Alternate Route

Lincoln Highway Bridge Then and Now

It is official, the City of Tama, Iowa, home of the iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge, has announced that they are going forward with an alternate traffic route of 5th St, thereby avoiding the historic bridge. Construction of the alternate route is to begin in April with work to be done by PK Construction. The route will curve around the bridge on the west and connect with Business 30 to the north. There will no longer be access to the bridge by vehicles.

The now iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge was built in 1915 by architect, Paul N. Kingsley, who became world renowned for his design talent. He designed the Tama bridge based on the slab bridge design by the Iowa Highway Commission. Instead of balusters, the decorative railing spells out the words, “Lincoln Highway.” It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1978.

Architect plaque on Lincoln Highway Bridge Tama

The bridge was paid for by the citizens of Tama who were proud that the Lincoln Highway route went through their town and saw the design of the bridge as a way to advertise and distinguish their bridge form hundreds of others across the U.S.  Long time Tama resident, Charles Betz, recently found a photo with additional local advertisements on the bridge railing.

Historic advertising photo of Lincoln Highway bridge

For over 100 years Lincoln Highway travelers and then enthusiasts from all over the world would drive over the bridge, stop to see it up close, and take photos. They have been known to ship their cars to New York, travel the entire Lincoln Highway route from Times Square to San Francisco, and then ship their cars home.

Historic Lincoln Highway Bridge in Tama, Iowa

The Lincoln Highway through Tama is also a farm-to-market road. For many years, residents, farmers, and truckers have travelled the Lincoln Highway through the town on this main route. Maintenance has been continuous over the last 100 years and the community continues take pride in their bridge. Tama-Toledo has adopted the bridge as their identity by using the image in welcome signs on Hwy 30, in their town logo, with a small replica at city hall, and the annual Bridge Festival in May.   

The existing bridge can no longer hold the load of vehicular traffic. With the alternate traffic route for 5th St avoiding the bridge, the future of the concrete bridge continues to be hopeful. 

Motor Convoy on Lincoln Highway bridge tama
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway A National Scenic Byway

A core team of stakeholders has been assembled to discuss a future resolution for the bridge. Thank you for your support and patience on this important part of the Lincoln Highway story as we gather more information and work through details and educated options.                                                                                                    In the meantime, I will see you on the byway!

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Iowa Prairie Rivers of Iowa
The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour App Now Available

The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour App Now Available

Iowa Scenic Valley Audio Tour

The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway  Audio Tour has a long history. Created in 2018, byway travelers could call a phone line, listen to Spotify recordings, read a companion booklet, and follow the essential map to find the History, Curiosities, and Rural Stories found in the Iowa Valley. 

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour Map
brochure cover

Enter 2025, and the Audio Tour “App” is ready to direct travelers from their car to the locations at the 40 stops in the 18 plus communities. We are still using the same provider, however Oncell (seen on the brochure) is now Stqry.

To access the App, your phone or tablet only needs a browser as this tour is not yet available on Apple or Google platforms.  Simply type in this address in your search engine:  http://iowavalleyscenicbyway.stqry.app  and open the site. Then use the share icon to save the site to your home screen. Now you can open the site by clicking on the logo icon that is now on your home screen.  

 

Share icons

When you enter the tour, you begin on the map with the tour stops numbered. Enter into a tour stop and explore the photo gallery, listen to and/or read the audio tour, find more information and directions! Make sure you allow the site access to your location when you are asked so that Google maps can get you there.

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour App
Historic photograph of woolen mill

Some links that can be found under the “More Information” include but are not limited to the stop’s website or Facebook presence, articles written about the location, links to the town to find events, nearby activities and places to eat (still in development). You can also view historic and current photos and even videos or oral histories. A rolle bolle video can be seen on the Victor stop and a link to the Rolle Bolle booklet.                                                                                                                    The tour information is in need of an update so there will be changes and additions to the app from time to time and a new brochure will be printed this spring.  If you have any additional information or changes, please let me know!! With additional funding, we do hope to have a downloadable app in the future.