Historic Route 66 - Information Highway - Pontiac, Illinois, USA. - National Scenic Byways on Waymarking.com

The Telegraph poles that passed through Pontiac, disappeared long ago, due to fibre optic technology. The poles on display were taken from a nearby section of Historic Route 66.
The info Plaque & display poles are located across the road from the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum.

The Plaque reads:
"The First Information Highway for the Midwest.
The railroad and Route 66 automobile corridor were not only important to the transportation of people and goods, the system of poles and wires that paralleled those byways served as the first information highway for the Midwest."

"In the Land of Lincoln, begins the path of the Mother Road near the shore of Lake Michigan. Connecting the Midwest with the golden state of California, the road from Chicago originally followed State Route 4 from Chicago to East St. Louis. This original piece of gravel road was built before Route 66 even existed and was first called the Pontiac Trail in 1915. In 1918, Illinois began to pave the road and by the time Route 66 was instituted it was entirely paved. This piece of the Mother Road was the first fully paved highway in Illinois and was quickly recognized as the shortest distance between Chicago and St. Louis. By 1927, the Route 66 signs were visible all along the Illinois route." Text Source: (visit link)

Program: America's Byways Website: [Web Link] Official Name: Historic Route 66

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Date Logged Log   05/09/2014 veritas vita visited it