Victory Highway

Last updated

Victory Highway Sign.svg

Victory Highway

Route information
Existed1921–1938
Major junctions
West end San Francisco
East end New York City
Location
Country United States
Highway system
Auto trails

The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40. It was created by the Victory Highway Association, which was organized in 1921 to locate and mark a transcontinental highway to be dedicated to American forces who died in World War I. [1] A series of Victory Eagle sculptures were planned to mark the route, [2] although only a few were actually built and placed.

Contents

By 1922 the organization had decided to run the highway from New York City southwest to Camden, New Jersey; Philadelphia; Wilmington, Delaware; Baltimore; and Washington, D.C. before turning west to San Francisco. [3] Washington was later removed from the route, and the highway was relocated to run west from Baltimore to Cumberland, Maryland. At Cumberland, it picked up the old National Road to Vandalia, Illinois, which was already marked as part of the National Old Trails Road. [4] It continued to follow that auto trail near Fulton, Missouri, and then followed a different route across the rest of that state, passing through Jefferson City on its way to Kansas City. [5] The highway continued west from Kansas City to Denver over the Golden Belt Highway, [6] and then ran via Salt Lake City, across the Great Salt Lake Desert on the Wendover Cut-off and into Nevada. After crossing the Sierra Nevada mountain range into California, the highway went through Sacramento, through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta over what is now State Route 160, crossed over the Antioch Bridge, passed through the Broadway Tunnel, [7] and ended in San Francisco. [8] [9]

The Victory Highway mostly overlapped the National Old Trails Road east of St. Louis, but it took a different route through New Jersey. While the National Old Trails Road crossed the Delaware River at Trenton, [10] the Victory Highway crossed on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Camden, heading northeast via Burlington and Hightstown to Perth Amboy roughly on the present U.S. Route 130 and Middlesex County Route 615. [11] After crossing the Victory Bridge into Perth Amboy, it turned east over the Outerbridge Crossing and through Staten Island to the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan. After the Outerbridge Crossing was completed in 1928, the only two ferries remaining on the highway were the Staten Island Ferry and a ferry between San Francisco and Oakland at the other end. [12]

When the United States Numbered Highways system was introduced in 1926, the Victory Highway route was supplanted mostly by U.S. 40. The Victory Highway Association continued to promote tourism along the route, but as the importance of named highways declined, the association renamed itself the U.S. Highway 40 Association in 1938. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Highway</span> Historic long-distance highway in the United States

The Lincoln Highway is one of the earliest transcontinental highway routes for automobiles across the United States. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway runs coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. In 1915, the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928, a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia. Thus, there are a total of 14 states, 128 counties, and more than 700 cities, towns and villages through which the highway passed at some time in its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 80</span> Interstate Highway from California to New Jersey

Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the original routes of the Interstate Highway System; its final segment was opened in 1986. The second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States after I-90, it runs through many major cities, including Oakland, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Des Moines, and Toledo and passes within 10 miles (16 km) of Chicago, Cleveland, and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 37</span> Highway in New Jersey

Route 37 is a state highway located in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The route runs 13.43 mi (21.61 km) from Lakehurst at a traffic circle with Route 70 to an interchange with Route 35 in Seaside Heights. A two– to six–lane divided highway its entire length, Route 37 serves as the major east–west route through the Toms River area as well as a main route to the Barnegat Peninsula, crossing the Barnegat Bay on the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges. The route through Toms River Township is lined with many businesses and named Little League World Champions Boulevard in honor of Toms River East Little League's victory in the 1998 Little League World Series. Route 37 intersects many major roads in the Toms River area, including County Route 527 (CR 527), the Garden State Parkway/U.S. Route 9 (US 9), Route 166, CR 549, and CR 571. The route experiences congestion from both development in the area and from traffic bound for the barrier islands in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 50</span> Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching 3,073 miles (4,946 km) from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near the Pacific Ocean. The Interstates were constructed later and are mostly separate from this route. It generally serves a corridor south of I-70 and I-80 and north of I-64 and I-40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auto trail</span> Historic type of marked roadway

The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in the early days of the automobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 2</span> U.S. Numbered Highway

U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning 2,571 miles (4,138 km) across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, which are disconnected into segments because of encroaching Interstate Highways, the two portions of US 2 were designed to be separate in the original 1926 highway plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 440</span> Highway in New York

New York State Route 440 (NY 440) is a state highway located entirely on Staten Island in New York City. The route acts as a connector between the two segments of New Jersey Route 440, running from the Staten Island community of Richmond Valley in the south to Port Richmond in the north. NY 440 is connected to the two New Jersey segments by the Outerbridge Crossing to the south and the Bayonne Bridge to the north. It is one of several signed New York State routes that are not connected to any others in the state, and one of only two NYS routes that is the middle section of another state's highway bearing the same number. Much of NY 440 is a limited-access highway. From the Korean War Veterans Parkway to Interstate 278 (I-278), it is known as the West Shore Expressway. North of I-278, it is named the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway. NY 440 is the southernmost state route in the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Trail</span> U.S. auto trail

The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C. west to Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California. First road signed in 1913, it was one of the first, if not the first, marked transcontinental auto trails in America.

Note: A fully interactive online map of the Lincoln Highway and all of its re-alignments, markers, monuments and historic points of interest can be viewed at the Lincoln Highway Association Official Map website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 2 in Vermont</span> Section of Numbered Highway in Vermont, United States

U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that is split into two segments. Its eastern segment runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine. In Vermont, US 2 extends 151.604 miles (243.983 km) from the New York state line in Alburgh to the New Hampshire state line in Guildhall. West of Vermont, US 2 continues into New York for another 0.87 miles (1.40 km) to an intersection with US 11 in Rouses Point. US 2 passes through the cities of Burlington and Montpelier as it traverses the state. The Burlington to Montpelier route was first laid out as a toll road in the early 19th century. It was later incorporated into the transcontinental auto trail known as the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 before being designated as part of US 2 in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico</span> Historic highway in the United States

The historic U.S. Route 66 ran east–west across the central part of the state of New Mexico, along the path now taken by Interstate 40 (I-40). However, until 1937, it took a longer route via Los Lunas, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, now roughly New Mexico State Road 6 (NM 6), I-25, and US 84. Large portions of the old road parallel to I-40 have been designated NM 117, NM 118, NM 122, NM 124, NM 333, three separate loops of I-40 Business, and state-maintained frontage roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 50 in California</span> Highway in California

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a transcontinental United States Numbered Highway, stretching from West Sacramento, California, in the west to Ocean City, Maryland, in the east. The California portion of US 50 runs east from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento to the Nevada state line in South Lake Tahoe. A portion in Sacramento also has the unsigned designation of Interstate 305. The western half of the highway in California is a four-or-more-lane divided highway, mostly built to freeway standards, and known as the El Dorado Freeway outside of downtown Sacramento. US 50 continues as an undivided highway with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes until the route reaches the canyon of the South Fork American River at Riverton. The remainder of the highway, which climbs along and out of the canyon, then over the Sierra Nevada at Echo Summit and into the Lake Tahoe Basin, is primarily a two-lane road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 439</span>

New York State Route 439 (NY 439) was an east–west state highway on Staten Island in New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route was at the Goethals Bridge, where it continued into New Jersey as its Route 439. Its eastern terminus was at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in the St. George neighborhood. In between, NY 439 followed the Staten Island Expressway, Forest Avenue, Victory Boulevard, and Bay Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 80 in Utah</span> Section of Interstate highway in Utah, United States

Interstate 80 (I-80) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey. The portion of the highway in the US state of Utah is 197.51 miles (317.86 km) long through the northern part of the state. From west to east, I-80 crosses the state line from Nevada in Tooele County and traverses the Bonneville Salt Flats—which are a part of the larger Great Salt Lake Desert. It continues alongside the Wendover Cut-off—the corridor of the former Victory Highway—US Route 40 (US-40) and the Western Pacific Railroad Feather River Route. After passing the Oquirrh Mountains, I-80 enters the Salt Lake Valley and Salt Lake County. A short portion of the freeway is concurrent with I-15 through Downtown Salt Lake City. At the Spaghetti Bowl, I-80 turns east again into the mouth of Parleys Canyon and Summit County, travels through the mountain range, and intersects the eastern end of I-84 near Echo Reservoir before turning northeast toward the Wyoming border near Evanston. I-80 was built along the corridor of the Lincoln Highway and the Mormon Trail through the Wasatch Range. The easternmost section also follows the historical routes of the first transcontinental railroad and US-30S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 40 in Utah</span> Section of U.S. Highway in Utah

The west end of U.S. Route 40 (US-40) is in the U.S. state of Utah at Silver Creek Junction in Silver Summit with Interstate 80. From there it heads southeast through Heber City and east into Colorado on its way to the Mid-Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendover Cut-off</span> Highway in Utah

The Wendover Cut-off, also called the Wendover Road or Wendover Route, is a two-lane highway in the western part of Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. Stretching 40.3 miles (64.9 km) from Wendover to Knolls across the Bonneville Salt Flats, a part of the Great Salt Lake Desert, the cut-off was once part of the primary link between the Nevada state line and Salt Lake City. In 2012, between 240 and 250 vehicles used the cut-off near its western terminus in Wendover on an average day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-55 (Kansas highway)</span> State highway in Kansas

K-55 is a 12.049-mile-long (19.391 km) west–east state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway's western terminus is at U.S. Route 81 (US-81) roughly 11 miles (18 km) north of Wellington and the eastern terminus is at K-15 in Udall. It passes through the city of Belle Plaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-19 (Kansas highway)</span> State highway in Kansas, United States

K-19 is a 33.915-mile-long (54.581 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. From U.S. Route 50 (US-50) to K-19 Spur it is signed as north–south and from K-19 Spur to US-281 it is signed as east–west. K-19's southern terminus is at US-50 in Belpre, and the eastern terminus is at US-281 east of Seward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-33 (Kansas highway)</span> State highway in Kansas

K-33 is an approximately 10.4-mile-long (16.7 km) north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-33's southern terminus is at K-68 in rural Franklin County east of Ottawa and the northern terminus is at U.S. Route 56 (US-56) in Douglas County, east of Baldwin City and southwest of Kansas City. K-33 provides an important link between US-56 and K-68 to Interstate 35 (I-35) and US-50 in Wellsville. K-33 is a two-lane rural highway for most of its length, except for the section within Wellsville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-49 (Kansas highway)</span> State highway in Kansas

K-49 is a 35.354-mile-long (56.897 km) north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-49 begins at U.S. Route 81 (US-81) in Caldwell, and runs north to K-42 in Viola. Along the way, K-49 has a brief overlap with US-160 south of Conway Springs. The majority of the route exists in Sumner County, with only a mile existing in Sedgwick County.

References

  1. West, H. G. (August 1924). "The Victory Highway—A Transcontinental Memorial". The Highway Magazine. Vol. 15, no. 7. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  2. "Touring the New Victory Highway". Concrete Highway Magazine. Vol. 8, no. 4. April 1924. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  3. "Dedicate Road to Hero Dead". The Star and Sentinel. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. April 22, 1922. p. 5.
  4. Weingroff, Richard F. "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration . Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  5. Rand McNally Auto Trails Map: Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee (Map). Rand McNally. 1924. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  6. Rand McNally Auto Trails Map: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona (Map). Rand McNally. 1924. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  7. California Highway Commission (1929). Investigation and Report on Toll Bridges in the State of California. p. 29.
  8. Mohawk-Hobbs Grade and Surface Guide: Victory Highway, San Francisco–Kansas City (PDF). Mohawk Rubber Company. 1926. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  9. Midget Map of the Transcontinental Trails of the United States (Map). Clason Map Company. 1923.
  10. Official Map of National Old Trails Road Association (Map). National Old Trails Road Association.
  11. Mileage Map of the Best Roads of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania (Map). Clason Map Company. 1926. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  12. "Victory Highway Bridges Built". Automotive Section. Oakland Tribune . Oakland, California. March 21, 1926. sec. O, p. 6. Retrieved July 26, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. Monroe, Warren L. (Snowy) (March 27, 1976). "Nevada's Editors: An inside look". Nevada State Journal . Reno, Nevada. Nevada Looks Ahead section, p. 13C. Retrieved July 26, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg