'Lincoln' the road to discovery

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY: COAST TO COAST FROM TIMES SQUARE TO THE GOLDEN GATE, by Michael Wallis, Photographs by Michael Williamson, W.W. Norton, 320 pages, large format, $36.95

You never know what you might find when you take a trip down the Lincoln Highway. Stretching from Times Square to the Golden Gate, its crooked path winds in and out of 20th-century American history and geography, emerging in the heart of cities across the nation, then disappearing again into the brush — sometimes miles from our modern interstates.

Anyone who follows the Lincoln Highway's meandering route will find themselves on the road to discovery.

"The Lincoln Highway is a route for travelers, not for tourists," writes Michael Wallis in his introduction. A traveler, he says, steers clear of the "banal and humdrum," while tourists "flock to the franchise eateries and chain motels because they know what to expect."

In contrast to the expected and predictable, the Lincoln offers a chance to meet America at its roots both past and present, at it stretches more than 3,300 miles through four time zones and 13 states — New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and California.

Carl Fisher, who was the power behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, started promoting the idea of the Lincoln Highway in 1912 — with the goal of finishing it by 1915. Today, it is affectionately known as "The Main Street Across America."

Several segments follow historic routes, such as the 1796 Lancaster Turnpike in Pennsylvania; the Chambersburg Turnpike, over which the Army of Northern Virginia traveled to Gettysburg; the Mormon Trail; the Overland Stage Line; the Pony Express; and the Donner Pass crossing of the Sierra Nevada.

Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson uncover the Lincoln Highway's divergent route like explorers, revealing ancient treasure. Each chapter introduces the westbound traveler to the 13 states traversed by the highway. Leaving from Times Square, one can almost smell the grilled shish kabobs and car exhaust mixing in the bustling metropolis.

Those who choose to travel down the venerable highway with the authors will see history as it survives along the roadside, and some of those who preserved it for future generations to enjoy. Take for example Dennis and Shirley Andrus who run Orr's Ranch in Skull Valley, Utah. Shirley is the daughter of William and Pearl Orr, who, with other members of the Orr Family, owned the ranch beginning in the late 1800s.