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Dixie Highway
From the Village of Homewood Heritage Committee:
| Following a path worn by the buffalo
from Minnesota to the salt licks of Kentucky, Native
Americans traveled the length of what is now the eastern
border of the State of Illinois. French fur traders
utilized the same trail. A young clerk, turned fur
trader for the John Jacob Astor's Fur Trading Company,
Gurdon Saltenstall Hubbard, became legendary as "Swiftalker."
He established trading posts along the north-south trail
from Chicago to Vincennes. The route was identified as
Hubbard's Trace on early maps. Suspecting
the Winnebagos were going to attack Fort Dearborn in
July 1827, Hubbard rode 140 miles to Danville, Illinois
in 20 hours to recruit a company of Vermilion County
Rangers. With early pioneers following the trace, the
trail eventually became two wagon widths wide. In 1835
the Illinois General Assembly ordered a state road to be
established from Vincennes to Chicago and mile stones
placed thereon. The trail was selected as the most
direct and favorable route; the first official route in
Illinois, thus Route 1. The road became known as the
Vincennes Trail. an original trail mile marker still
exists in Crete. Monuments in the Beverly section of
Chicago, Crete, Grant Park, and Rossville mark this
historic route. |
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| By 1915, automobile travel
became increasingly popular for business, agricultural,
and recreational uses. Citizens demanded that government
provide better roads, which at this time consisted
primarily of dirt and were passable in fair weather, yet
quickly became impassable mudholes after a few hours of
rain. Governors from several states met to consider an
improved road from Indianapolis to Florida. States
lobbied for inclusion, so, instead of a single route,
two major divisions were designated. Carl Fisher, a
civic booster and auto enthusiast, who was instrumental
in developing the Indianapolis Speedway, a Florida land
developer, and also called "Father of the Lincoln
Highway," convinced the governors that Chicago should be
the northern terminus. The Great Dixie Highway was born.
The Dixie Highway Association took over the active work
begun by the governors. Many counties funded and built
the highway in their area, but poorer counties required
federal aid and private subscription. Citizens took
paint bucket and brush in hand to paint D.H in red and
white on poles to mark the way for travelers. First
tourists packed tents to camp overnight in fields or
rented rooms from farmers in remote areas. Gas stations
and mechanics were few and far between. Motorists
carried extra gas and tools. Soon tourist camps and
cabins, roadside diners and service garages sprouted,
and a new industry was launched to accommodate the
travelers. Chenille bedspreads, Moon Pies, postcards,
monuments, and souvenir shops were now a part of
Drivin' the Dixie.
The route played significant
roles in both World War I and II, supplementing the
railroads by carrying supplies from north to south. By
1925, the official map of the Dixie Highway consisted of
5,786 miles of improved roadway, doubling the length the
organizers antiticipated.
Illinois, the route of the
highway started in Chicago, traveling through Blue
Island, Harvey, Homewood, Chicago Heights, then followed
what is today Route 1 through Crete, Beecher, Grant
Park, Momence, St. Anne, Watseka, Hoopston, and down to
Danville, where the road turns east into Indiana.
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