The Lincoln Highway receives nowhere near the attention it deserves. This 1913-1928 volunteer effort, funded by contributions, established the first coast-to-coast highway. It created widespread demand for roads, goaded government into action, and established mobility as an American freedom. Today's numbered highway system can be traced to it.

Yet the Lincoln is overshadowed by one of its offspring, Route 66, and even by the Pony Express--which lasted 18 months, disappeared almost without a trace, and produced no societal change.

This contemporary sign, a backdrop in other images, has been given an artistic treatment that mimics weathering--especially on red paint. A rise in the land toward the west (right) appears on the 44 boards.

A side note: Wagon tracks from the mid-1800s are visible nearby (along with replica wagon wheels) on I-80 Eastbound at the Sutherland rest area.