Shelton Lincoln Highway Festival on Sunday

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The 15th annual Lincoln Highway Festival and Car Show is set for this Sunday in Shelton, Nebraska, which bills itself as the “Lincoln Hi-way Capital” of the state. As reported in the Grand Island Independent, festivities include a car show, antique tractor display, live music, and a photo contest … Continue reading →

EPA advice for Sutherland NE gas stations

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 announced that the Village of Sutherland, Nebraska, recently was given technical assistance in the form of a comprehensive report for redeveloping a number of former gas stations in its downtown. Most notable is c 1930 cottage station. There is … Continue reading →

Nebraska Archway gets repro Hammer Motel sign

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO A former Kearney icon has been replicated at the Great Platte River Road Archway. The Kearney Hub reports that the archway now displays a Hammer Motel sign, a replica of a much larger sign that once stood at the hotel on US 30 at 19th Ave … Continue reading →

Shady Bend station restored and back in business

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The Grand Island Independent reports that Shady Bend, an old roadside business along the Lincoln Highway in central Nebraska, has been restored and is again serving customers on the east end of Grand Island. I reported on the plans two years ago on this blog. The … Continue reading →

Christmas at Cody’s 1880s mansion & barn

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO Visitors can again enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas at the Cody ranch with a tour of Buffalo Bill’s home on Friday, December 17 from 5:30 pm-8 pm. The 1886 mansion, 1887 horse barn, log cabin, and outbuildings are all decorated with lights. The mansion will have 18 … Continue reading →

Review of Shelton’s Lincoln Highway Festival

The Grand Island Independent ran a nice follow-up to the Lincoln Highway Festival in Shelton, Nebraska, including a walk through of the LH Visitor’s Center there. Following are some parts of their story. But now as the 80-year-old Nebraska president of the Lincoln Highway Association, Stubblefield is doing more than watching the highway and its … Continue reading →

Lincoln Highway Festival in Shelton this Sunday

Shelton, Nebraska, will celebrate its 13th-annual Lincoln Highway Festival and car show this Sunday. The Kearney Hub reports that the car show starts at 10 a.m. with trophy presentations from 2:30-3 p.m. The Shelton Historical Society will serve lunch at the American Legion Hall, and the Lincoln Highway Visitor’s Center will be open all day. … Continue reading →

Motorcycling the Lincoln Highway with Chris

Last year, motorcyclist Chris Hutter took the Lincoln Highway from Pittsburgh to the east edge of Grand Island, Nebraska. This year he’s hitting the LH in Omaha after a visit to the Surf Ball Room in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Buddy Holly played his last concert. From Nebraska he’ll stay on the Lincoln to its … Continue reading →

Cassler’s Lincoln Hwy bricks again make the news

Here’s another nice article from The Canton Repository about the efforts of Brian Cassler to preserve a bit of the Lincoln Highway. As part of earning his Eagle Scout badge, Cassler cleaned and organized more than 2,000 bricks from Canton that will be used to recreate a portion of the Lincoln Highway at the Great … Continue reading →

More on Lincoln Highway bricks that moved west

Updating yesterday’s story on Brian Cassler’s efforts to deliver bricks to Nebraska, dad Jim sent this photo and info on where they came from: The bricks were uncovered in the summer of 2007 when Tuscarawas Street (the Lincoln Hwy through downtown Canton, Ohio) was unearthed as a part of a street renovation project. Former LHA … Continue reading →

Immerse yourself in Denny’s Lincoln Highway trip

A week ago I reported on Denny’s Gibson’s blog but if you didn’t bother visiting it, go to dennygibson.com/lhwest09/ now and spend a half hour seeing, feeling, and tasting a trip along the Lincoln Highway westward from Illinois. Make sure you click his photos to see them bigger; here are a few. A real heartbreaker, … Continue reading →

Kearney’s Hammer Motel – update

Fred Hammer wrote to say hello after reading my post on the history of his family’s motel along the Lincoln Highway in Kearney, Nebraska: “I grew up in that motel — watched it grow from 8 rooms to 35.  My dad was one of the founders of the Best Western chain and took pride in … Continue reading →

Paxton to celebrate centennial year this Sunday

This Sunday, May 24, Paxton, Nebraska, will celebrate the centennial of its incorporation as a village. The celebration will include a community pageant recalling Paxton’s history and a chuck wagon feed. Paxton, on the Lincoln Highway/US 30 west of North Platte, has a population of just 614. and one flashing red traffic warning light. Russell … Continue reading →

Lincoln Highway, Rt 66 make Midwest Living mag

The March/April 2009 issue of Midwest Living has a 5-page article about the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 (though 66 gets the mention on the cover as you can see at right). The title is “Touring Route 66 and Lincoln Highway: Follow the route of the first super roads across the U.S.” The focus is … Continue reading →

Nebraska: tornado damage, jockey dedicated

The January 2009 newsletter of the Nebraska Lincoln Highway Association includes a number of interesting stories and a feature on theaters along the route. That story noted that a drive-in theater in Kearney was badly damaged in the May 29 tornado, and insurance was not adequate to replace the screen, so it was torn down … Continue reading →

Christmas with Buffallo Bill Cody in North Platte

The 1886 home of Col. and Mrs. Cody, a long-time Lincoln Highway stop in North Platte, Nebraska, is decorated for  an 1880s Christmas. Nightly events include period reenactors, caroling, roasting chestnuts, horse-drawn carriage rides, hot cider, holiday music, the armed services honor tree,  and Santa Claus. The 1887 horse barn, log cabin, and other outbuildings … Continue reading →

Shady Bend to reopen with food & drinks

The Grand Island Independent reports that Shady Bend, a popular Lincoln Highway attraction on the east end of Grand Island, Nebraska, is being partially revived. The mostly-cleared site has been bought by Craig Woodward, a grandson of founder H.O. Woodward. All that remains from the once-thriving site at US 30 and Shady Bend Road is … Continue reading →

Mystery photos 4 & 5: NE and WY

Daily snow the past few weeks has us dreaming of sunny drives along the Lincoln Highway, so here are a couple summertime photos from western Nebraska and western Wyoming. Can you correctly identify either location? To see them larger, click on each one for a connection to Flickr. Once there, click “All Sizes” above the … Continue reading →

Hammer Motel, a Kearney landmark no more

The Hammer Motel on the Lincoln Highway in Kearney, Nebraska, was famous for its sign topped by a giant hammer and three supporting poles made to look like big nails. Named for the Hammer family, it served travelers for decades before being demolished in 1995 for parking. Postcards from Flickr friend Allen/Roadsidepictures. Piecing together the … Continue reading →

Fort Cody Trading Post Writes Its History

One of my favorite stops along the Lincoln Highway is Fort Cody Trading Post in North Platte, Nebraska. Since moving closer to I-80, it’s now a few blocks south of US 30 through town, though the original LH actually followed the Gothenburg Stairstep that came into town from the south on Locust (now Jeffers) Street, … Continue reading →