US Highways site (us-highways.com) apparently down

[US71]

Seems he's at Hamilton Correction Institution
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=H47061&TypeSearch=AI
Florida doesn't have parole but does have good time (up to 10 days credit per month while in DOC custody but must service 85% of sentence.) It appears the potential release date of 02/04/2021 has that already applied
Given the circumstances of the case I'm sure they would have seized anything resembling a computer, phone, CD, flash drive, hard drive that was on the premises. So unless he had off-site backup that is still active.

They wouldn't have seized the files that were on the web hosting service.  If nothing else him or someone else could have then downloaded those files to a backup device.  IOW don't assume that he has no backups, or someone he designated.

But if his hosting ends, what happens to the files?

[Beltway]

They wouldn't have seized the files that were on the web hosting service.  If nothing else him or someone else could have then downloaded those files to a backup device.  IOW don't assume that he has no backups, or someone he designated.

But if his hosting ends, what happens to the files?

If the web hosting service for that website ends, then those files are deleted.  However your own backup files on your storage device still exist albeit they are not online unless uploaded to a new website.

[US71]

They wouldn't have seized the files that were on the web hosting service.  If nothing else him or someone else could have then downloaded those files to a backup device.  IOW don't assume that he has no backups, or someone he designated.

But if his hosting ends, what happens to the files?

If the web hosting service for that website ends, then those files are deleted.  However your own backup files on your storage device still exist albeit they are not online unless uploaded to a new website.

Which seems to bring us full circle as to whether his files got confiscated with his computer.

[SectorZ]

They wouldn't have seized the files that were on the web hosting service.  If nothing else him or someone else could have then downloaded those files to a backup device.  IOW don't assume that he has no backups, or someone he designated.

But if his hosting ends, what happens to the files?

If the web hosting service for that website ends, then those files are deleted.  However your own backup files on your storage device still exist albeit they are not online unless uploaded to a new website.

Which seems to bring us full circle as to whether his files got confiscated with his computer.

US-highways.com, presented by the FBI

[Beltway]

They wouldn't have seized the files that were on the web hosting service.  If nothing else him or someone else could have then downloaded those files to a backup device.  IOW don't assume that he has no backups, or someone he designated.

But if his hosting ends, what happens to the files?

If the web hosting service for that website ends, then those files are deleted.  However your own backup files on your storage device still exist albeit they are not online unless uploaded to a new website.

Which seems to bring us full circle as to whether his files got confiscated with his computer.

So other roads webmasters can find whatever internet archives exist and then have the option to put it online. 

Virginia ASCE had some great articles online about the Pentagon construction, Shirley Highway reconstruction, and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel construction.  I linked to them from my website articles.  A few years later they went offline.  I e-mailed them and asked if I could host them in their format.  I did not get a reply.  I then uploaded the files to my website (as is so very little work was needed on my part) and linked to them and said that they are their articles.  That was back around 2003.  Nobody ever complained.  If they wanted to re-host them I would have relinked to them.  They never have.  They are still being hosted by me!   

http://www.roadstothefuture.com/VASCE-History/VASCE-Pentagon.htm
http://www.roadstothefuture.com/VASCE-History/VASCE-Mixing-Bowl.htm
http://www.roadstothefuture.com/VASCE-History/VASCE-CBBT.htm

These actually are electronic reproductions of a paper publication, I have a copy.

[froggie]

How much interest is there in resurrecting the former material from US-Highways?

[hbelkins]

How much interest is there in resurrecting the former material from US-Highways?

I don't really remember what all he had, other than some information on decommissioned routes.

Are their other sources for his material? (Besides Wiki, of course.)

[Brandon]

How much interest is there in resurrecting the former material from US-Highways?

I don't really remember what all he had, other than some information on decommissioned routes.

Are their other sources for his material? (Besides Wiki, of course.)

If I recall correctly, he had the US Highways, 1925 US Highways, the Kodachrome Florida US Highway Shields, and a History of Standard Oil & What Happened to Standard Oil.

[bandit957]

Did he also have the "state highway makeover" page, or was that someone else? I remember one of the shields someone submitted featured a big piece of poop.

[Brandon]

Did he also have the "state highway makeover" page, or was that someone else? I remember one of the shields someone submitted featured a big piece of poop.

He might have had one.  I think Otto Yamamoto had another.

[US 89]

Almost all of the US Highway information that was on there is still findable today on USEnds or Wikipedia. And as for the 1925 US Routes, Wikipedia has this (created by SPUI):

[froggie]

Did he also have the "state highway makeover" page, or was that someone else? I remember one of the shields someone submitted featured a big piece of poop.

He might have had one.  I think Otto Yamamoto had another.

Yamamoto had the original....RVDroz took it over when Yamamoto dropped his webpage.

[kphoger]

The screen grabs shown on this site come from what I remember looking at and contributing to once upon a time.

[bulldog1979]

Almost all of the US Highway information that was on there is still findable today on USEnds or Wikipedia. And as for the 1925 US Routes, Wikipedia has this (created by SPUI):
[image snipped]

Wikisource also has a copy of the Report of Joint Board on Interstate Highways October 30, 1925 available for reading, complete with the sign diagrams in the appendix.

[fredmcain]

Group,

There are some things I'd really like to say about Robert Droz.  Before he got in trouble, I carried out quite a bit of correspondence with him over the years.

What people need to understand is that he has a sickness that is only a small part of what he is.  Outside of his sickness, he is actually a helluva nice guy.
Based on what I understand at this point, Droz never physically molested anybody.  At least those were not the charges.  The charges had to do with trafficking porn on his computer.  That's what he got in trouble for but that is still a rather serious charge.

Many years ago when I first got interested in seeing if Old Route 66 could be reinstated as an official U.S. Highway, I wrote Droz a letter asking for help.  At that time I had little or no computer experience and wrote him a hand-typed paper letter and sent it by U.S. Mail.  He was kind enough to write me back a very nice letter.

Then later on I had considerable e-mail correspondence with him as well.  Needless to say, I was crestfallen to have gotten this bad news about him.
He told me once that by 2026 he was planning to write a book about the U.S. Numbered Highway System to help celebrate its centennial anniversary.  I hope those plans somehow stay on track.

People get into trouble all the time over things they wished they hadn't done.  People also get their lives back together again.  My hope and prayer is that Robert can do that.  There is still time. 

Best Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm sure Jared from Subway was a nice guy too...but...  Anyways, in the days of yore in the early 2000s us-Highways was an incredibly useful page but it didn't keep up with the times before it disappeared.  I'd argue that the information which was contained on the site has been mostly duplicated and improved upon by other websites that are still around today.  The amount of information freely available about highway history in general has improves leaps and bounds this recent decade. 

[fredmcain]

Max,

Those are good thoughts.  I guess you've come up with the best idea on how to achieve closure of this issue.

It is what it is, I guess.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[Max Rockatansky]

Max,

Those are good thoughts.  I guess you've come up with the best idea on how to achieve closure of this issue.

It is what it is, I guess.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

Don't get me wrong, it's not like a site can't come back from the dead.  Example; Gribblenation essentially has found a second life since  the original website went defunct through blogs and Facebook.  Us-Highways would have a massive uphill climb to catch up with some of the modern equivalents or would have to find a way to present the information anew.  The trouble is the site host won't be around anytime soon for obvious reasons.  The one site I really wish would do some updates from the era that is at least still maintained is arizonaroads.com. 

[US71]

Don't get me wrong, it's not like a site can't come back from the dead.  Example; Gribblenation essentially has found a second life since  the original website went defunct through blogs and Facebook.  Us-Highways would have a massive uphill climb to catch up with some of the modern equivalents or would have to find a way to present the information anew.  The trouble is the site host won't be around anytime soon for obvious reasons.  The one site I really wish would do some updates from the era that is at least still maintained is arizonaroads.com. 

Has anyone tried to contact Robert and see if he's be willing to let someone else host/maintain his site?

[hbelkins]

Has anyone tried to contact Robert and see if he's be willing to let someone else host/maintain his site?

I'd be willing to bet that his original files are long gone. Most likely, his computer equipment was confiscated and he will have no access to it. It's probably either been destroyed, locked in an evidence room somewhere, or the hard drives were wiped clean and the machines sold as surplus. The domain expired, which is how this first put the subject into public discussion, and AFAIK the only access to the data is available via the Wayback Machine.

[Beltway]

Has anyone tried to contact Robert and see if he's be willing to let someone else host/maintain his site?

I'd be willing to bet that his original files are long gone. Most likely, his computer equipment was confiscated and he will have no access to it. It's probably either been destroyed, locked in an evidence room somewhere, or the hard drives were wiped clean and the machines sold as surplus. The domain expired, which is how this first put the subject into public discussion, and AFAIK the only access to the data is available via the Wayback Machine.

Similar points have been repeated in the last couple years here.

Has anyone asked him?  Could send him a paper letter.

[fredmcain]

Similar points have been repeated in the last couple years here.

Has anyone asked him?  Could send him a paper letter.

Yes, you could do that.  If we could ascertain what facility he's at, you could write him a paper letter.  In fact, that would probably be a day brightener for him.  You have given me an idea.  I might just try and do that.  It might be good for him to hear from someone like us.

I do not and would not condone what he did.  NEVER!  But, at the same time, I don't judge anyone.  That is for the Man upstairs to do and His right alone.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[Rover_0]

Max,

Those are good thoughts.  I guess you've come up with the best idea on how to achieve closure of this issue.

It is what it is, I guess.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

Don't get me wrong, it's not like a site can't come back from the dead.  Example; Gribblenation essentially has found a second life since  the original website went defunct through blogs and Facebook.  Us-Highways would have a massive uphill climb to catch up with some of the modern equivalents or would have to find a way to present the information anew.  The trouble is the site host won't be around anytime soon for obvious reasons.  The one site I really wish would do some updates from the era that is at least still maintained is arizonaroads.com. 

There's one thing I remember from Robert's website that I don't recall seeing anywhere else: There was a mention of US-160 being considered for an extension all the way to California, but I don't know when. I don't know when or what route it would've taken. Now, it wouldn't surprise me to see some AASHTO (or AASHO) amendment applications pop up somewhere soon, but, so far, US Highways.com was the only place with that piece of information.

[US71]

us-highways.com domain has been acquired by someone else.

[usends]

There's one thing I remember from Robert's website that I don't recall seeing anywhere else: There was a mention of US-160 being considered for an extension all the way to California, but I don't know when. I don't know when or what route it would've taken. Now, it wouldn't surprise me to see some AASHTO (or AASHO) amendment applications pop up somewhere soon, but, so far, US Highways.com was the only place with that piece of information.

Here is the relevant text about US 160 (my bold, my clarifications in brackets):

Since 1930; Original route Springfield, MO - Cortez, CO; Planned to Monticello, UT 1930 w/ future NV and CA considered; extended west Lockerby, UT 1934 [this refers to the CO/UT stateline]; Brendel, UT 1938 [this refers to Crescent Jct.]; west truncated Cortez, CO 1970; extended west 1970 [this refers to Tuba City]; Orig plan for future extens to CA

Similarly, he had an interesting tidbit about US 63 (see bold):

Since 1926 [Des Moines to Turrell AR]; Was ferry [where? Jefferson City?]; extended north 1934 [Ashland WI]; extended south to Memphis, TN 1940; extension s to coastal Louisiana denied 1940; north truncated 1990 [outside Ashland]; south truncated W. Memphis, AR 1999; current extended south 1999 [Ruston LA]