Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway - Illinois Section

[Route66Fan]

I've started working on mapping out the 1918 route of the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway. I am working from West to East.
The map that I am working on can be found here.
Currently, I've got the route mapped, in Illinois, from Hannibal, MO to Jacksonville, ILL.
I've also mapped out the routing of the autotrail in Missouri here.

[3467]

That might explain why that corridor was on then first map of proposed TollRoads and Free Roads.

[edwaleni]

I've started working on mapping out the 1918 route of the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway. I am working from West to East.
The map that I am working on can be found here.
Currently, I've got the route mapped, in Illinois, from Hannibal, MO to Jacksonville, ILL.
I've also mapped out the routing of the autotrail in Missouri here.

Your embedded link attempts to put the viewer in edit mode and wants authentication. Which of course, only you can edit it.

[Route66Fan]

I've started working on mapping out the 1918 route of the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway. I am working from West to East.
The map that I am working on can be found here.
Currently, I've got the route mapped, in Illinois, from Hannibal, MO to Jacksonville, ILL.
I've also mapped out the routing of the autotrail in Missouri here.

Your embedded link attempts to put the viewer in edit mode and wants authentication. Which of course, only you can edit it.

I've fixed it. The links should work now. Thank you.

[Route66Fan]

I've added the section between Baylis, ILL to Jacksonville, ILL.

[Route66Fan]

Another section has been added from Jacksonville, ILL to Springfield, ILL.

[edwaleni]

The part where it crossed the Illinois River at Griggsville Landing (a.k.a Valley City) was a ferry called Phillips Ferry. But I think the ferry crossed south of the tracks, not north. But i will check that out.

I think the trail curved south along the Mauvaise Terre Creek (which is really an old river flood route) and the tracks and finally ferried across next to it.

[Route66Fan]

The part where it crossed the Illinois River at Griggsville Landing (a.k.a Valley City) was a ferry called Phillips Ferry. But I think the ferry crossed south of the tracks, not north. But i will check that out.

I think the trail curved south along the Mauvaise Terre Creek (which is really an old river flood route) and the tracks and finally ferried across next to it.

Volume 5 of the "Official Automobile Blue Book", which I am using to map the route out, does mention a ferry that charged 50c at that location.

[Route66Fan]

I've added another section of the autotrail between Springfield, ILL & Decatur, ILL.

[edwaleni]

OK, figured this out.

Phillips Ferry (which dates back to 1810!) crossed north of the original railroad bridge (now moved south).

This is why the Trails Road makes the turn where it does, it was following the original route of the now Norfolk Southern (former Wabash Railroad) to the shoreline of the Illinois River. It was here, cars would cross using the ferry over to Valley City just north of the rail bridge.

In 1952, the railroad bridge was replaced with a new lift span by the Corp of Engineers just south to replace the swing span. Wabash moved the railroad further south for the new bridge.

It was then the State of Illinois decommissioned what was then County-10 and with it the ferry that had been in continuous service since before Illinois became a state.

People had to drive down to Florence and use US-36 instead. It appears on the 1925 Auto Trails map that the preferred ferry route was at Florence.

This was the former ferry at Florence, just before the bridge was built. So I am sure Phillips Ferry didn't look to different.

[Route66Fan]

I've updated part of the routing just West of Riverton, ILL.

[Route66Fan]

OK, figured this out.

Phillips Ferry (which dates back to 1810!) crossed north of the original railroad bridge (now moved south).

This is why the Trails Road makes the turn where it does, it was following the original route of the now Norfolk Southern (former Wabash Railroad) to the shoreline of the Illinois River. It was here, cars would cross using the ferry over to Valley City just north of the rail bridge.

In 1952, the railroad bridge was replaced with a new lift span by the Corp of Engineers just south to replace the swing span. Wabash moved the railroad further south for the new bridge.

It was then the State of Illinois decommissioned what was then County-10 and with it the ferry that had been in continuous service since before Illinois became a state.

People had to drive down to Florence and use US-36 instead. It appears on the 1925 Auto Trails map that the preferred ferry route was at Florence.

This was the former ferry at Florence, just before the bridge was built. So I am sure Phillips Ferry didn't look to different.

Thanks for the information & the picture. I was wondering when the railroad was moved.

[Route66Fan]

The section between Decatur, ILL & Atwood, ILL is now up.

[Route66Fan]

Another section from Atwood, ILL to Newman, ILL is up.

[Route66Fan]

The final part in Illinois from Newman, ILL to Montezuma, IN, is now up.

[hotdogPi]

Calling it ILL (usually only the 2-letter postal abbreviations are in all caps) reminds me of this awful thread.

[edwaleni]

I appreciate these Auto Trails locations because it helps me locate old ROW's or in some cases old gas stations, auto garages that serviced these travelers.

Like in this case, I noticed that a special grading was installed for the highway in what was probably semi-rural Decatur Illinois at the time. Today it looks out of place. Built around 1924 is my guess.

[Finrod]

Like in this case, I noticed that a special grading was installed for the highway in what was probably semi-rural Decatur Illinois at the time. Today it looks out of place. Built around 1924 is my guess.

Reminds me quite a bit of the original routing of US 66 in eastern Oklahoma, where the corners are rounded off as 66 zig-zags through the grid, like these:

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6997236,-94.9456523,183m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7284358,-94.9452599,181m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.815649,-94.9094963,302m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8297656,-94.9090714,192m/data=!3m1!1e3

[edwaleni]

I am not sure where you will post the Indiana route, but here is a 1920 map of Hendricks County, Indiana with the Pikes Peak road clearly labeled.

[Route66Fan]

Calling it ILL (usually only the 2-letter postal abbreviations are in all caps) reminds me of this awful thread.

I wasn't sure if the abbreviation was ILL, or IL.

[Route66Fan]

I am not sure where you will post the Indiana route, but here is a 1920 map of Hendricks County, Indiana with the Pikes Peak road clearly labeled.

Thanks for the map. I think I am going to map out the Kansas section next before I map out the Indiana section.

[hotdogPi]

Calling it ILL (usually only the 2-letter postal abbreviations are in all caps) reminds me of this awful thread.

I wasn't sure if the abbreviation was ILL, or IL.

Either IL or Ill. is fine.

[edwaleni]

I found a trails map key from an archive for Illinois

http://exhibits.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/1920/maps/roadkeym.gif