kjolly
0
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2008
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 7
- Location
- Austin, TX
- First Name
- Kevin
- Last Name
- Jolly
Wow! I'd like to see the route taken.
I don't believe the US highway system was even in place at that time, so this must have taken some innovation. Five years prior, in 1919, a young Army officer named Dwight Eisenhower would participate in a country-wide survey with a convoy of Army vehicles to study this very problem. He would sign the funding for the Interstate system decades later when he became President.
Mike --
I'm in the process of tracing out Phil's 1924 route and mapping it onto today's roads (hopefully to ride it). In 1924 in the Eastern half of the country (more or less to St Louis), most of the major intercity routes were hard-surfaced - concrete, brick, macadam). It looks like Phil followed the route of the National Old Trail. Before 1927 most "Highways" were really just routes. A highway asssociation - supported by businesses in towns along the route - would put up marker poles and mileage signs (and print tourist brochures and maps) - but they didn't build or maintain the roads - that was done by cities and states. The HQ of the National Old Trail Association was in Kansas City. I've got Phil's route traced out to Kansas now, if I ever get organized I'm going to put it up on my web site.
Kevin