Category Archives: 1920 Highway Sytem

Jun 10

An extended correction to the IA 39 page

Good news! I was wrong … mostly. On the page for IA 39, I said that present-day US 30 west of the west edge of Denison, following the railroad, was never part of the Lincoln Highway. Well, in the course … Continue reading

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Jun 07

Jefferson Highway notes in Decatur County

This 1918 construction document for “Inter County Highway” shows the plan for a truss bridge south of Leon. Note the intricate illustration for the river. The 2023 Jefferson Highway conference starts today in Mason City. The Jefferson Highway, also known … Continue reading

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Feb 27

Did Grand Junction almost lose the Lincoln Highway?

While working on some updates for the 1920 highway series, I noticed a curious thing on the 1920 state map: IA 6 between Grand Junction and Ogden is in the wrong place. By “wrong”, I mean that the blue line … Continue reading

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Feb 10

The winding history of the Sageville-Luxemburg road (2)

This clip from 1949 Iowa Highway Commission blueprints shows three alignments of IA 3 in Sageville that are nearly on top of each other. The top gray line is the 1932-49 pavement. The middle, with a centerline, is a change … Continue reading

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Feb 08

The winding history of the Sageville-Luxemburg road (1)

Near the beginning of July 2022, a closure of IA 3 in Dubuque County began. The official detour runs all the way from Luxemburg to Dubuque via US 20 and will last two years although the road will be open … Continue reading

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Dec 12

Updates and corrections to pages, late 2022

(This has been percolating for a while, and the changes have been made. I figured I’d better push it out by the end of the year.) Active highways: I’ve had the west end of IA 24 in New Hampton dated … Continue reading

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Oct 17

Huebinger’s Glidden map is wrong

Corrections are important, even if they come 110 years late. This one affects stuff I’ve written recently. Huebinger’s Map and Guide for Iowa Official Trans-Continental Route, published in 1912, draws Glidden’s business district in the wrong place. Huebinger puts the … Continue reading

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Aug 26

IA 2 (1920 Series): A piece recreated (almost)

Two developments in the Des Moines suburbs over the past year or so have done two very different things to the first highway that exited the state capital on Grand Avenue. This is the companion to Wednesday’s post. Waukee’s continued … Continue reading

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Aug 24

IA 2 (1920 Series): A piece obliterated

Two developments in the Des Moines suburbs over the past year or so have done two very different things to the first highway that exited the state capital on Grand Avenue. Val Lanes concrete, 1921-2021 The 1948 blueprint above shows … Continue reading

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Jul 20

When Griswold called out Lewis

Griswold American, July 21, 1921: Seems to be Worried. If one were to judge from the following article taken from the Lewis Standard, the people of the town of Lewis are fearful lest they lose the little old White Pole … Continue reading

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