Midwest Guest

Midwest travel links for January 2012

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• And That Has Made All the Difference-I remember when Linda first wrote about driving along North Dakota's Old Red Ten Scenic Byway and taking a photo of a beautiful old grain elevator. This story tells the sad fate of the grain elevator, but also is a meditation on how blogging about it struck a chord and created connections among Travels with Children's readers.
  
• Five Favorite Places for Kids on the Sunset Coast, Michigan-Jessie shares her nominations for the top kid-friendly beaches on the western Michigan shoreline. I must just be a big kid at heart as a couple of Jessie's picks (like Manistee, Grand Haven and the Sleeping Bear Dunes) are also my favorite beaches as well.
  
  
  Manistee
  
• Living in a lighthouse-I'm a big fan of Great Lakes lighthouses. Volunteer light keeper programs are popular around the Great Lakes as more and more lighthouses establish such programs. This is a nice round up at Midwest Weekends blog about opportunities to spend a few nights in various lighthouses around the lakes.
  
• Nature's Trading Post-Katie writes about visiting Nature's Trading Post at the Cincinnati Museum Center in the Family Friendly Cincinnati blog. This place looks especially fun for kids who can take some of their own natural treasures in to trade for other cool items like rocks, minerals, magnifying glasses and fossils.
  
• History and Art-Amy visits the Carver County Historical Museum in Waconia, Minnesota, and her story at A Closer Look at Flyover Land takes a close look at this wonderful small-town museum.
  
• Harding Memorial-Ohio is the place to go if you're really into presidential history. Eight U.S. presidents lived in Ohio at the time of their election, and a few of them are buried in the state as well. I've visited the monument and grave site of President James A. Garfield in Cleveland, but I've yet to make it to the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio. Fortunately, Mike did make the trip to Marion and shares this report at OHventures just in time for Presidents Day.
  
• Building Language: Art Deco-I love art Deco architecture and have written about Midwest Deco gems like Detroit's Fisher Building and the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana. So I really enjoyed Raina's tour of Art Deco gems in Indianapolis at the Historic Indianapolis blog.
  
  
  Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum's Art Deco building
  
• Carew Tower in Downtown Cincinnati-The Carew Tower is yet another Art Deco gem in the Midwest, and I loved this photo essay at Visualingual about this great 1929 building. The writer compares the Carew to Detroit's Guardian Building, although photos of the Carew reminded me more of Detroit's Fisher Building.
  
• Frank Lloyd Wright Turns Down Offer of a Life Time, Alters Course of Chicago Architecture-What would have happened had Frank Lloyd Wright accepted an offer from famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham (master planner of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and its legendary White City) to study in Paris and Rome before returning to Chicago to become a partner at Burnham's architecture firm? This is the intriguing question explored in George's story at The Chicago Architecture Blog.
  
• Foodie Finds: Cleveland's West Side Market-Kristin visits one of my favorite farmers markets, the great West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out the favorite foodie finds of Kristin and her family at her Wandering Educators post, plus check out 6 Favorite Spots at Cleveland's West Side Market at Kristin's own My Kids Eat Squid blog.
  
  
  

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for December 2011

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• Looking for Fairy Crosses near Little Falls, Minnesota-I love searching for unusual rocks when I travel (like the red rocks along the Lake Superior shoreline you see in my blog header), so I loved this story at Travels with Children about Linda’s search for staurolite stones on the Mississippi River bank south of Little Falls, Minnesota. Many of these stones are cross-shaped and sought after as good luck charms.

• Frankfort North Breakwater Light-I’ve visited this lighthouse many times in the past, and written about it here at Midwest Guest. This post at the Michigan in Pictures blog features a beautiful wintertime photo of the ice-bound lights at Frankfort and an update about the recent transfer of the lighthouse’s ownership from the Coast Guard to the City of Frankfort.

  
  

• Indy to Repurpose Stadium Seats at Bus Stops-I like seeing innovative re-uses for things that outlive their original purpose. Check out this story at the Urbanophile blog about a cool re-use for seating from a now-closed minor league ballpark in Indianapolis, Indiana.

• Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvels in Dale, Indiana-One of my favorite things to do when traveling to seeking out unique small town museums, and Dr. Ted’s place looks like a lot of fun. Jessica takes Little Indiana readers through this eclectic collection of large musical instruments like player pianos, calliopes, and orchestrions.

• 4 Unique & Boutique Museums in Indy-Looking for a fun way to spend an hour or an afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana? Check out unique museums like the home of beloved Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley, the Medical History Museum and more at the Doing Indy Blog.

• Discover Fort Wayne’s Burmese Heritage-Burmese cuisine and culture in northern Indiana? You’ll find it at Fort Wayne, home to the largest concentration of Burmese immigrants in the country. Check it out at the Visit Fort Wayne blog.

• Shopping Safari at Jungle Jim’s-I’ve always said that one of the best places to shop for souvenirs is the local grocery store. Take a trip with Jill to a fun foodie paradise near Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Discovering Ohio blog.

• Shop at the World Famous Lehman’s-Hardware stores can also be a fun shopping stop when you travel. Lehman’s is a 45,000-square-foot hardware (and so-much-store) in northeast Ohio’s Amish Country. Kendra takes Discovering Ohio readers to this Kidron, Ohio, store to shop for hardware, wind chimes, books, kitchen ware, toys and more! (I wonder if Lehman’s is a bit like Yoder Department Store in Shipshewana, Indiana? Maybe I need to revisit Yoder and check out Lehman’s as well!)

• Professional Hockey in Indiana? Absolutely!-We often take in a hockey or baseball game when we travel, so I’m keeping Indiana Insider blog list of professional minor league hockey teams in Fort Wayne, Evansville and Indianapolis for future reference! By the way, check back here later this week for a post about the Plymouth Whalers, our Major Junior hockey team here in metro Detroit.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for November 2011

I'm back with my monthly list of Midwest-related stories I read online during the past month:

• A Lincoln Highway Drive-I'm fascinated with the story of the Lincoln Highway. We've managed to travel the length of it through Ohio, along with tiny portions of it in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Here's a nice guide to a stretch of the Lincoln Highway through Nebraska at the Nebraska Outback blog.

• ArtPrize Big Dog Artist Speaks About Life in the U.P.-I first became aware of artist Ritch Branstrom when I spotted some of his fish made of scrap metal in a metro Detroit seafood restaurant. His 12-foot-tall dog sculpture was one of my favorite pieces at this year's ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so I enjoyed Andrew's profile about Branstrom and life in the Upper Peninsula at ArtServe's Creative Impact Michigan blog.
  
  
• Learning to Appreciate Harley-Davidson-It was fun to see Donna's take on the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I think she looks pretty sporty atop a Harley motorcycle at her My Itchy Travel Feet blog!

 

• 21 Questions with Zamboni Paul-I've always wanted to ride an ice resurfacing machine (a.k.a. Zamboni), so I loved Heather's interview with this long-time Zamboni driver for Indiana's Fort Wayne Komets.

• Louis Bromfield and Loving the Land in Ohio and Visiting a Pioneer of Sustainability-Malabar Farm is on my list of places I need to visit. Meanwhile, I enjoyed Vera Marie Badertscher's stories about Bromfield's experiment in sustainable agriculture, his books and his pretty glamorous connections to 1940s Hollywood at her own Traveler's Library blog and at the Attainable Sustainable blog.

 

• Pitstop at the Peoria RiverFront-Here's a great story about one of Nicole's favorite roadside stops in Peoria, Illinois. Her little Arrow loves this park and the opportunity to take a break during a long road trip. Check it out at Nicole's Arrows Sent Forth blog.

 

• Windy City Whirlwind Tour-I enjoyed David and Veronica's quick tour of Chicago at The Gypsy Nester blog, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed visiting The Bean and taking the architectural boat tour there.
  
  
• Marina City-Chicago's "Corn Cobs" have to be among the city's most striking buildings, and the authors at the designslinger blog tell us they may be the two most photographed buildings in the city. Check out this story about a unique mixed-used residential development along the Chicago River that, while revolutionary for its time (built in 1959), helped revitalize this urban neighborhood by attracting residents to an area that previously had none.

• Miller Brewery Tour-So the title of this one speaks for itself! Check out Carl from Chicago's recent visit to the free brewery tour in Milwaukee, which includes a couple of great overhead views of the factory's bottling operation.

• Belle Isle Bridge-I've crossed this bridge over the Detroit River many times by car to visit Belle Isle, but I really enjoyed this story from our intrepid two-wheeled adventurer Charlie taking a closer look at the MacArthur Bridge. And here I thought I was the only one who got excited about things like bridge railings! Oh, and check out my story about two smaller bridges at Belle Isle.
  
  
  Belle Isle's Casino Way Bridge
• One woman's quest-stroll every street in Lansing-I learned about Ariniko's to walk every street in the city of Lansing, Michigan, while reading Rick's story at his Panethos blog. Check out Ariniko's own reports of her travels at the City Saunter blog, which includes this recent story (with beautiful pictures) about Lansing's holiday celebrations.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Visiting the bookstore at Indiana's University of Notre Dame

Local bookstores are among my favorite stops on the road, and the campus bookstore at Indiana's University of Notre Dame is a particular favorite of mine.

Good local bookstores are a great source of books by local authors and books about local history. Good college bookstores carry a selection of college logo wear and maybe a few interesting university press books. Bookstores are an especially good road trip stop if they have decent restrooms and a coffee shop. The Notre Dame bookstore has all of the hallmarks of a good local bookstore, a good college bookstore and a great road trip stop.

We've visited college bookstores in cramped classroom sized spaces, in aging store fronts in a nearby downtown and in huge warehouse-like stores on campuses. But the Notre Dame store is special, with its inviting ambience and wide variety of books that appeal to a general audience beyond text book toting students.

The university's bookstore is in the Eck Visitor Center building, and like many buildings on Notre Dame's architecturally photogenic campus, it is a modern building designed to fit in with the university's vintage buildings.

Bookstore visitors enter through the building's sunny atrium.

While you'll find plenty of school supplies and textbooks tucked away on the store's second floor, the store's first floor is a place you can enjoy spending time browsing.

The bookstore's first floor includes a large section of university wear and memorabilia that is larger than many stand-alone clothing stores and a large area with books arranged like a conventional bookstore with plenty of places to curl up with a good book or get in some quiet study time.

The store stocks current fiction, popular non-fiction, children's books, classics, magazines, and a variety of religious books and accessories. We found several popular history books that we ended up purchasing the last time we visited the store.

University officials envisioned the store as a positive reflection on the campus and its strong academic history when building it as a "world-class bookstore" in the late 1990s.

The store is also a center of the wider university life with a cafe/coffee shop and a schedule of events that includes extended hours during home football weekends when cheerleaders and Notre Dame's leprechaun mascot visit as fans shop for t-shirts and jackets to wear to the game.

There is a satellite bookstore across the street from campus in a mixed-use development called Eddy Commons. The satellite store fills the need to pick up a T-shirt or gift book, and it was a nice quick stop when we stayed at the nearby Fairfield Inn.

Still, I appreciate a really nice bookstore and think it's well worth the time to go on over to campus and check out Notre Dame's main bookstore.

Speaking of going to Notre Dame's campus, check out Back to School at Indiana's University of Notre Dame, O'Shag Hall at Indiana's University of Notre Dame, Indiana's University of Notre Dame embraces "Touchdown Jesus", and Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the heart of Indiana's University of Notre Dame campus. I also posted a review of our stay at the Fairfield Inn across from Notre Dame's campus.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links: Gratitude edition

Nearly everyone who visits the Midwest seems to remark on how neighborly we are in this region of the country.

Neighbors help neighbors in need. A death in my immediate family, and helping another family member deal with serious health concerns, brought that point home to me in recent months.

I asked a group of my Midwest neighbors for help keeping Midwest Guest going through the past couple of months as I focused on helping my family. A number of them generously responded with their time and talent to do so.

Here is a special link love edition featuring those neighborly folks so you can check out more of their work:

• Matt Forster took readers on a tour of some of his favorite hot dog haunts between Traverse City, Michigan, and Cincinnati, Ohio, in Every Day Has Its Dog. He also contributed a story kayaking with his wife had near Turnip Rock in Michigan's Thumb region (My Piece of the Rock). Matt is a freelance writer whose work includes Michigan and Colorado travel guides, as well as his most recent book, Best Tent Camping: Michigan. Check out Matt's work at www.big-words.net or connect with him @mattsbigwords on Twitter.
• Jessie Voigts was always ready with some encouraging words and shared three stories with Midwest Guest readers in the past two months: Wandering around Ohio's Yellow Springs Farmers Market; Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park: A Michigan gem for all seasons near Grand Rapids, Michigan; Saugatuck's Oval Beach: A beach for all seasons (and one of Jessie's favorite beaches along the Lake Michigan coast in western Michigan). Jessie is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. You can also connect with her @WanderingEds on Twitter.
• Nicole Wiltrout wrote about Visiting Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, reviewing this museum devoted to western and Native American art. Nicole also gave readers tips about touring the museum with children and about other nearby attractions worth visiting. Nicole, who describes herself as "a stay-at-home mom (who rarely stays at home)", writes about her travels at home and further afield with her husband and 2-year-old son at Arrows Sent Forth. She is an Expert Blogger for the Indiana Insider, her home state's tourism blog, and you can also find her @arrowssentforth on Twitter.
• Tim Marks is my other half and contributed a photo essay about one of our favorite stops for photographing in northern Michigan, Leland, Michigan: Resort and Historic Fishing Harbor. You can check out more of his photography at www.photowanderer.com or on The Wandering Photographer blog. Connect with him @photowanderer on Twitter.
  
  
  Fishtown at Leland, Michigan
  

• Lauren Weber took readers on a sweet trip in metro Detroit with A Visit to the Chocolate Factory. Lauren and her young daughter toured the factory, sampled some of the product (wouldn't you?) and did a little shopping. Check out more of Lauren's adventures in metro Detroit at Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood and connect with her @LaurenWeber84 on Twitter.
• Linda Kramer visited a classic cabin resort in northern Minnesota and contributed a beautiful meditation on what Up North means to her and her family, which turns out to be very similar to how many of us feel about the term here in Michigan. Read about Linda's adventures in Minnesota and beyond with her family of six at her blog, Travels with Children, or catch up with her @minnemom on Twitter.
• Anne Harris contributed another take on "up north" with her story, Pearl of the North. Tim and I have visited the area around Traverse City and Empire in northern Michigan for years, but Anne discovered a few places there we've yet to visit ourselves. I met Anne when we freelanced for the same local newspaper, and when I started blogging three years ago, Anne helped me get going and gave Midwest Guest its name. She writes YA (young adult) fiction under the pen name of Pearl North. Check her out at http://www.pearlnorth.com


Tim (aka @photowanderer) at the Friendly Tavern in Empire, Michigan

• Julie Henning wrote Ye Olde Winter-Friendly Geocaching Event in Cambridge, Ohio, about an upcoming holiday- and Victorian-themed caching event which I've seen her describe as "caching with cocoa". Julie has three young children, and her expertise is in family-friendly travel around her home state of Wisconsin. Julie is the Feed Me and Geocaching editor at Road Trips for Families and writer of two iPhone apps, Madison Loves Kids and Milwaukee Loves Kids. Connect with her @RoadTripsFeedMe on Twitter

Thanks to my Midwest neighbors, I couldn't have done it without you!

Look for a resumption of my regular monthly Midwest link love post next month.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Visiting Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis

Nicole Wiltrout takes readers on a tour of Eiteljorg Museum,a beautiful museum devoted to western and Native American art in Indianapolis.

When Dominique was kind enough to offer me an opportunity to share a post here at Midwest Guest, I was thinking through what might be a good topic. She mentioned that she hasn’t written much about Indiana other than a few posts on various locations in the northern part of the state. I’ve spent most of my life in central and southern Indiana, so it’s natural for me to focus on these regions. I spend much of my energy at my own blog (Arrows Sent Forth) covering this part of the Midwest.

What I like best about Indianapolis, found in the very center of the state, is how it often surprises visitors (and locals) with quality attractions that they don’t expect to find. For instance, when you think of an ideal location for a museum devoted to western and Native American art, Indianapolis likely doesn’t come to mind. And yet that’s exactly where you’ll find the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

Despite being an avid fan of museums, it has taken me more than 20 years to appreciate what the Eiteljorg offers. Sure, I had visited a few times. Mostly because the Eiteljorg hosted special exhibitions from two of my favorite artists, Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe, in the last decade or so. But otherwise, I hadn’t paid this gem much thought until recently.

I first started getting my interest piqued during the holiday season last year. The Eiteljorg was hosting a new exhibit called Jingle Rails. An amazing model train set, it captivated all the kids and families I knew who visited and I mentally put it on my list of things to visit this year when Christmas rolled around. And then I was invited on a press tour to see the museum and figured it was high time I explore this place in greater depth.

Like any good first introduction, my visit began with a delicious meal at the Sky City Café. I’m typically not a big fan of museum cafeterias, but this place is truly a destination on its own merits. It takes the southwestern and Native American influences from the museum and infuses it right into the menu. Beyond the delicious food, I loved the atmosphere. On a nice day, you can dine on the patio, which overlooks Indianapolis’ beautiful downtown canal.

I was equally impressed with the exhibits. This is one of the finest collections of western-inspired artwork you’ll find anywhere in the country. And while my knowledge of this type of art is admittedly lacking, I found many pieces that took my breath away. I really encourage those who are similarly in the dark about this type of artwork to plan their visit at a time when a tour is offered. It really brings the work to life, even for a novice like myself.

I always visit attractions with kids in mind, even when my 2-year-old son isn’t traveling with me. The Eiteljorg doesn’t disappoint in this area either. While some of the galleries wouldn’t be interesting to young kids, the entire basement is a hands-on introduction to the Wild West. Here in the R.B. Annis Western Family Experience, you can build and raise your own totem pole, visit a Nebraskan sod house, and even take a ride in an authentic stagecoach. When I take my son to visit Jingle Rails this winter, I plan on carving out a lot of time to spend in this area of the museum.

For older kids studying Indiana history, the Native American gallery holds a special collection called the Peoples Place that focuses on Indiana tribes, including the Miami, Potawatomi, and Delaware. The museum also offers a Family Adventures Pack for kids ages 8-12 to enhance their museum experience.

If you plan a visit to the Eiltejorg, you’ll be happy to know its situated right in downtown Indianapolis, in White River State Park. It is within walking distance of many of my favorite Indy attractions, like the Indianapolis Zoo, NCAA Hall of Champions, Indiana State Museum, and more, so you can plan an entire day and evening here without getting in the car.

Disclosure: I was invited on a press tour of White River State Park in June of 2011. My admission and lunch at the Eiteljorg were paid for. I was under no obligation to write about my time there, and all opinions are my own.

Nicole Wiltrout is a stay-at-home mom (who rarely stays home) and lives in Columbus, Indiana. Nicole writes about adventures at home and away with her husband and 2-year-old son at http://arrowssentforth.com. You can also find her on Twitter at @arrowssentforth or Facebook.  She loves Hoosier road trips and is an Expert Blogger for the state’s tourism blog, the Indiana Insider at Visit Indiana. She has also written guest posts at Travel Mamas, Rookie Moms, Go Explore Nature, Go Big or Go Home, and Pitstops for Kids.

Photos and text © Nicole Wiltrout 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission

Midwest travel links for July 2011

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• Tips for Visiting the Gateway Arch-Sarah offers a few inside tips about making the most of your visit to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri at her Wandering Off blog.

• An Anything by Lazy Sunday on the White River-Join Karalee on her kayak tour of Indiana’s White River on the 8 Great Towns blog.

• So Much to do at Spring Mill State Park-I always remember the date of the launch pad fire that claimed the lives of the three astronauts preparing for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Canaveral in Florida as it happened on my birthday (January 27). Indiana native Gus Grissom was one of those astronauts, so I found Nicole’s story about the Grissom Memorial and other Spring Mill Park attractions at the Indiana Insider blog especially interesting.

• Summer Sky Entertainment-I sometimes take photos of clouds, but I don’t think I’ve managed any nearly as dramatic as Fargo photographer Don Such. Check out Andrea’s story about Don’s photo adventure at North Dakota’s Horizontal-Lines blog.



St. Mary's Church at Detroit's Greektown


• Historic Buildings along Fort Street-Detroit has an amazing wealth of beautiful architecture, and the ever-observant Charlie checks out some great gems as he traces the development of Detroit’s expansion and the evolution of the city’s architecture during one of his two-wheeled adventures at his Bikes, Books & A Little Music blog.

• A Day in Yellow Springs-Ohio’s Hippie Enclave-Several people suggested that I check out Yellow Springs in southwest Ohio, and Amanda’s story about the town at A Dangerous Business makes this quirky, artsy town with a history that includes being a stop on the Underground Railroad sounds like somewhere I really would like to check out.

• Roosevelt Park in Detroit-I’ve seen so many photos of the ruined Michigan Central Station posted as an example of what some people feel is wrong with Detroit, but I found this particular story at Visualingual about a park’s revival taking place in the shadow of the hulking ruin intriguing.

• Dogs Just Want to Have Fun!-Traveling with your best friend? Terri likes to travel with her best friend, a Chocolate Labrador named Nestlé. Come along as she shares some of her favorite dog park destinations in Ohio at the Discovering Ohio blog.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Carl Fisher: Father of the Lincoln Highway

This marker in Beaverdam, Ohio, is one of many along the Lincoln Highway marking its intersection with the Dixie Highway. Considering the number of highway alignments over the years and existence of multiple Dixie Highway routes, the multiple claims of being "The Crossroads of America" may be true, but Beaverdam's claim to the title seems particularly good.

So, who was Carl Fisher and what is his connection to the two highways?

The Indiana-born Fisher established a bicycle repair shop with his two brothers in 1891 when he was 17 years old. Bicycles' popularity waned as automobiles became increasingly popular in the early 1900s. Fisher followed the trend, opening an auto dealership with legendary auto racer Barney Oldfield.

Fisher's gift for promotion became apparent early as he staged events like riding a bicycle on a tightrope suspended between two tall buildings in downtown Indianapolis and attaching a car to a hot air balloon to fly it over town to promote his businesses.

In 1909, Fisher and three other investors put up $250,000 each to build an auto proving ground, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The raceway was a 2-1/2 mile track paved with crushed stone, but the stone track quickly proved deadly for auto racing. Organizers shut down the track, reopening it in 1911 as a brick-paved track (hence the nickname, "The Brickyard").

Fisher felt that promoting better roads was the best way to drive the popularity of automobiles. He also sold the idea of improved roads as a way to stimulate the country's agriculture and commerce.

In 1910, there were 180,000 registered motor vehicles in the country. The nation had 2.2 million miles of rural roads at the time, but fewer than 9 percent of those were "improved" in any way like paved with gravel or bricks, graded or oiled.

Fisher envisioned a transcontinental highway from Times Square in New York to San Francisco's Golden Gate, constructed in time to drive it to San Francisco's Pan American Exposition in 1915.

Fisher gathered $1 million in contributions within a month of announcing plans to develop the coast-to-coast highway. Celebrity contributors like Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Edison and then-president Woodrow Wilson lent support to the project, although others, like Henry Ford, felt the government should pay for roads, rather than private investors.

Supporters formed the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) in 1913, naming Packard Motor Car president Henry Joy to head the group headquartered in Detroit. Communities vied to be on the route as planners considered the need to connect major cities, supportive communities, scenic landscapes, and historic sites while plotting the most direct cross-country route.

Lincoln Highway today at Beaverdam, Ohio

The Lincoln Highway originally went through 13 states and measured 3,389 miles. Much of the route took in already existing roads, although less than half of them were improved roadways.

The LHA sanctioned suggested routes, designated existing roads with signs, published guidebooks for motorists and formally dedicated the route on October 31, 1913.

A LHA guidebook from 1916 advised motorists that driving the route was "something of a sporting proposition" and they could expect to take 20 to 30 days to make the coast-to-coast trip while averaging 18 miles per hour.

The LHA built a few short stretches of road, but organizers realized that the best use of their money was to promote and encourage travel along the route and build public demand for better roads funded by State, county and local officials.

By 1913, Fisher became enamored with a Florida swamp that he would eventually develop into one of the nation's most popular resort areas-Miami Beach.

Fisher proposed a new highway to bring Midwestern snowbirds to Florida and spur development of Miami Beach.

Competition among communities for a place along the highway was fierce, and it eventually developed as two largely parallel north-south routes. The Dixie Highway included over 5,700 miles running as far north as Canada and south just past Miami.

In the mid-1920s, about 250 named highways criss-crossed America. Government officials suggested a standardized system of numbering routes to alleviate confusion.

Old brick section of Lincoln Highway near Canton, Ohio

In 1925, highway officials proposed designating the Lincoln Highway as U.S. 30 along much of its route in an effort to gain the support of the influential LHA. Today, much of U.S. 30 is a divided, limited-access highway, although much of the original Lincoln Highway route, and its 1928 realignment, still exist.

The LHA staged one last promotion before disbanding in 1928. It sponsored a nationwide contest to design Lincoln Highway markers, with landscape architect Jens Jensen of Illinois winning with a design for concrete mile markers featuring a bronze head of President Lincoln, the highway's logo, and directional arrows.

In 1918, Boy Scouts placed 3,000 of the markers along the route. You can some of these classic mile markers, like the one we found sitting in its own little pocket park along the main road in Van Wert, Ohio.

The Dixie Highway is a little tougher to follow today, although it still exists as a named street in some places Pontiac, Michigan, not too far from my home. Many consider I-75 as the "modern Dixie Highway".

The marker we found in Beaverdam, Ohio, is just west of I-75. Lima, Ohio, was the original point of intersection with the Lincoln Highway and the eastern branch of the Dixie Highway. A 1919 re-routing of the Lincoln Highway brought the intersection to Beaverdam, where the paths of both highways followed the town's Main Street for a short way.

View of the Lincoln Highway at Dixie Highway intersection near I-75 entrance at Beaverdam, Ohio

The LHA reformed in 1992 to promote and preserve the Lincoln Highway and its history. The Mid-Ohio chapter of the LHA placed the Beaverdam pillar on the original base of a previous marker at the site in 1999.

Check out my story Cruise into Ohio's Canton Classic Car Museum. The museum sits within six blocks of the Lincoln Highway, housed in a former bicycle repair shop that became an auto repair garage when the highway first rolled through town in 1913.

Want to learn more about the America's first coast-to-coast highway? Check out The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate by Michael Wallis.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Things To Do
Lima

Midwest travel links for June 2011

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Indiana Ice Cream-Last month, I shared a link to a list of Ohio sweet treats. This month, Amy shares some of her favorite sweet treats from the Hoosier State at the Indiana Insider blog.
• My Hometown-Linda remembers getting some of the "biggest, best ice cream cones" for only a quarter in her hometown of Niagara, North Dakota. This fond tour of a small town at Travels with Children reminds readers to slow down and enjoy those road trips because even the tiniest towns have plenty to see and do if you take the time to stop and look around.


Marshall Fredericks' "Star Dream" in Royal Oak, Michigan

• Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Saginaw, Michigan-Marshall Fredericks had a studio in my own home town of Royal Oak, Michigan, for years, and his "Star Dream" sculpture adorns a water fountain near City Hall here. I've yet to drive up to Saginaw to see this museum, so I appreciated Amy's look at it on The Night Train.
• Traveling in My Backyard: An Ohio Weekend Itinerary-Amanda treats readers to a tour around Sandusky in northwest Ohio at A Dangerous Business. We've visited Marblehead and its beautiful lighthouse many times, but I found plenty of other suggestions here to consider for my next visit to the area.
• Getting in touch with nature in Chicago-Francesca and her family enjoy a day on the farm at Chicago's Green City Market. Eating farm-fresh goodies, petting some goats and posing in front of a big red barn were all part of this family's day in the heart of the big city. Read about it at The Working Mom's Travels blog.
• Book Review: John Gallagher's Reimagining Detroit-I read Gallagher's Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City some time ago, and I've heard Gallagher speak about the book a couple of times. The book is an optimistic, yet honest, assessment of Detroit's possibilities for the future, and I thought Patrick did a good job of reviewing the book and the issues it covered in this story posted at Rustwire: A Voice for Change in the Industrial Midwest.


 Grand Traverse lighthouse, Michigan

• Exploring Michigan's Traverse City Region-I enjoyed Laura's take on some of her favorite spots in the Traverse City region at Donna's My Itchy Travel Feet blog. Laura's list includes many of my favorites like the Old Mission and Grand Traverse lighthouses, the Sleeping Bear Dune climb, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Fishtown at Leland and cherry goodies at the Cherry Republic.
• A Family Vacation in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin-Sheri takes her family to a resort in the heart of Wisconsin dairy country. Geocaching via go cart, learning defensive driving skills, checking out the local cheese factory (what trip to Wisconsin would be complete without this?), and just chilling by the lake are all part of the plan in this post at Travel Savvy Mom.
• World's Largest Tiffany Glass Dome, Chicago, IL-I absolutely loved the Chicago Cultural Center and its Tiffany dome, so I was glad to see Julie share that same enthusiasm for this architectural wonder at Traci's Go Big or Go Home blog. Visiting with kids? Julie has a couple of suggestions for making a visit here interesting for your whole family.
• Santa Claus Museum in Santa Claus, Indiana-I've been to Christmas in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but here's another chance to enjoy Christmas in July. Take a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana with Jessica at the Little Indiana blog.
• St. Paul's Wabasha Street Caves: Ghosts and Gangster History-Join Beth to learn about some of the 1930s most notorious gangsters who frequented this chilly cave and look for a few of the ghosts that reportedly haunt this Minnesota hideaway near the Mississippi. Check it out at The Vacation Gals blog.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for May 2011

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

• Ohio: The Ice Cream Capital of the Universe-As you can tell from the title of this post at Discovering Ohio, Joe is pretty enthusiastic about the state’s ice cream offerings. We stopped for a pecan-topped sundae at Taggart’s Ice Cream Parlor in Canton, Ohio, last month, and I’d suggest it as a worthy addition to Joe’s list.
  
  
  The Bittner sundae at Taggart's
  
• Riding on Square Wheels-A tricycle with square wheels? Mathematics students in Wisconsin developed such a contraption in 2007, and Ivars tells readers at The Mathematical Tourist about a surprisingly smooth ride he took on a square-wheeled trike in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Grant Wood Studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa-Artist Grant Wood’s American Gothic is one of the most recognizable pieces of American art and holds a certain fascination for many of us in the Midwest. Join Linda and her family at Travels with Children as they check the studio where Wood created the iconic painting.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art-We’ve visited Cleveland’s Museum of Art a couple of times during recent years for special exhibitions, when only a few galleries remained open during the museum’s ongoing renovation and expansion. I enjoyed this update on the museum’s renovation at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus and look forward to visiting again now that more of the galleries are regularly open to visitors.
• Milwaukee Art Museum-I love unusual architecture, and I especially appreciated this look at Milwaukee’s museum with this set of photos taken by Carl for Life in the Great Midwest.
• Top 5 Things to Do and See in Chicago-Visiting Chicago? Check out this list of must-see places from Chicago native Rosalind at Farsighted Fly Girl. She and I agree that the Chicago Cultural Center is a must-see when visiting the city.


Tiffany dome detail from Chicago Cultural Center


• Indiana Wind Farms: Wind Turbines-I see a lot of farms when I’m traveling, especially in Michigan’s Thumb region. I enjoyed learning more about these giant turbines in this story at Little Indiana where Jessica interviews her husband Jeremiah (who she describes as a former “wind farm whisperer”).
• Ways to Enjoy Indiana State Parks-Annual park passes or museum memberships have to be one of the best buys for travelers exploring their own state or region. Nicole tells readers at the Indiana Insider why her annual state park pass is a great investment for her family.
• Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Detroit-Charlie checks out Detroit’s colorful celebration of its 47^th annual Cinco de Mayo parade at Bikes, Books & A Little Music.
• Detroit People Mover: In Honour of Mary Chase Stratton by Pewabic Pottery-Some of Detroit’s most stunning and fascinating public art installations are in the stations along its downtown People Mover route. Check out the beautiful tile work at the Cadillac Center in this post at Visualingual.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved