 In 1912, railroads dominated interstate transportation in America, and roadways were primarily of local interest. Outside cities, "market roads" were sometimes maintained by counties or townships, but maintenance of rural roads fell to those who lived along them. Many states had constitutional prohibitions against funding "internal improvements" such as road projects, and federal highway programs were not to become effective until 1921.At the time, the country had about 2.2 million miles (3.5 million km) of rural roads, of which a mere 8.66 percent (190,476 miles or 306,541 km) had "improved" surfaces: gravel, stone, sand-clay, brick, shells, oiled earth, etc. Interstate roads were considered a luxury, something only for wealthy travelers who could spend weeks riding around in their automobiles. Support for a system of improved interstate highways had been growing. For example, The New York Times in an article on August 27, 1911, gave quotes from several prominent men. "Of the Nation's leaders," it said, "none is more emphatic than Speaker Champ Clark." Furthermore, from a communication to President Robert P. Hooper of the American Automobile Association, the article quoted Clark's opinion that, "I believe the time has come for the general Government to actively and powerfully co-operate with the States in building a great system of public highways...that would bring its benefits to every citizen in the country." However, Congress as a whole was not yet ready to commit funding to such projects. Carl G. Fisher was an early automobile entrepreneur who was the manufacturer of Prest-O-Lite compressed carbide-gas headlights used on most early cars, and was also one of the principal investors who built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He believed that the popularity of automobiles was dependent on good roads. In 1912 he began promoting his dream of a transcontinental highway, and at a September 10 dinner meeting with industry friends in Indianapolis, he called for a coast-to-coast rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.[citation needed] He estimated the cost at about $10 million and told the group, "Let's build it before we're too old to enjoy it!"[citation needed] Within a month Fisher's friends had pledged $1 million. Henry Ford, the biggest automaker of his day, refused to contribute because he believed the government should build America's roads. However, contributors included former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, as well as then-current President Woodrow Wilson, the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for relaxation. Fisher and his associates chose a name for the road, naming it after one of Fisher's heroes, Abraham Lincoln. At first they had to consider other names, such as "The Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway" or "The Ocean-to-Ocean Highway," because the Lincoln Highway name had been reserved earlier by a group of Easterners who were seeking support to build their Lincoln Highway from Washington to Gettysburg on federal funds. When Congress turned down their proposed appropriation, the project collapsed, and Fisher's preferred name became readily available. The Lincoln Highway enters the state from the east on U.S. 30 at Pine Bluffs. Much of the route in Wyoming today is dirt and gravel and is impassable for much of the year. For a modern tour (directions assume you are going westbound): | |||||||||
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 The bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln was first installed at the highest point on the Lincoln Highway in 1959, which is located on the service road between Exits 323 and 329. The service road on the south side of the freeway follows the original route of U.S. 30/Lincoln Highway, and the bust was placed at the summit of the service road at an elevation of 8,835 feet. The old highway became the service road when the freeway was opened in 1969. At the same time, the bust of President Lincoln was moved to its present location, at the Summit Rest Area at an elevation of 8,640 feet.Robert Russin, who was an art professor at the University of Wyoming, designed and created the 13.5-foot tall bronze bust of Lincoln in 1959 to celebrate the president's 150th birthday. According to Greetings from the Lincoln Highway by Brian Butko (2005, pg. 189), Russin used ten tons of clay to create the bust, and the bust was cast in 30 pieces in Mexico City (which has a more favorable climate for such construction than Wyoming). The bust was transported from Mexico to Wyoming and placed atop a 35-foot tall base made of granite. The granite base is hollow, allowing for ladders and lightning rods inside. Of course, the memorial only lasted ten years in its original location at the 8,835-foot summit; it was moved in 1969 to its current location at the 8,640-foot summit. 
Constructed in 1882, the monument was named for U.S. Congressman Oakes Ames and his brother Oliver Ames, who was the third president of the Union Pacific Railroad. According to Greetings from the Lincoln Highway by Brian Butko (2005, pg. 187-8), this monument was intended as a monument for passing trains, but the railroad was realigned away from it in 1901. The Lincoln Highway originally passed by the monument, but it was rerouted away from it in 1920s and 1930s; today's version of the Lincoln Highway (Interstate 80) stays a couple miles north of here. As a result, the pyramid sits alone surrounded by sagebrush and dirt roads. |