WLM
| history
Buildings and Landscapes OF THE
LINCOLN HIGHWAY
W
hen the Lincoln Highway was dedicated in late 1913, America
was entering a new era in which the speed and convenience of
the automobile would change the cultural landscape. Over the next
half century, dense streets of downtown shops and livery stables
designed for horse and carriage were steadily replaced by commercial strips with
new motor courts and diners for weary travelers and garages and gas stations to
service the family car. “Roadside architecture” was born.
Roadside architecture was designed to
appeal to a particular time and place, and a
particular mood. Before Americans began
to rely on the familiar brands of motels
and fast-food restaurants now found
nationwide, they depended on the bright,
clean, and modern appearance of roadside
services to make their choice. Because
many potential customers were on vacation,
roadside architecture was designed with
a sense of whimsy intended to appeal to
people on holiday. Designed to catch the eye
from a moving vehicle, many motels, diners,
gas stations, and other services included
large, brightly colored neon signs that
enticed travelers to stop.
The dated, “vintage” feel of American
roadside architecture appeals to people all
over the world. Wyoming contains 400
miles of the Lincoln Highway, the route of
56
which was modified several times in its
early history. It became U.S. 30 in the 1920s
and was replaced by I-80 in the 1970s.
Today, the three roads and their variants
create a transportation corridor used by
thousands of travelers to and through
Wyoming each year. This corridor is of
major significance to the history and culture
of the state, past and present.
In July of 2013, the
Wyoming State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO)
began a five-county survey
of historic buildings and
landscapes related to the
Lincoln Highway. Two
hundred historic properties
were mapped and
photographed: downtown
hotels and motor courts,
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Winter 2013
by Elizabeth C. King, Historic
Preservation Specialist,
Wyoming State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO)
photography by Erin Dorbin,
courtesy of WY SHPO.