From buckboards to Buick could easily be the title for a book about the National Old Trails Road. This historic road bridged the era when the horse was king to the horseless carriage.
At the dawn of the 20th century, the horse faced a new challenge to its supremacy. The first challenge had come from the bicycle.
In the early to mid 1890s bicycle mania swept the country. To meet the swelling demand dozens of manufacturers were established. Bicycle racing became a national obsession. And bicycle touring clubs formed in Laramie Wyominig, New York City, and hundreds of communities.
But by the dawn of the 20th century the automobile was fast moving from novelty and circus sideshow curiosity to multimillion dollar industry. In 1900 more than a dozen automobile manufacturers were represented at the nations first auto show. The horse and the bicycle faced a new challenger for the throne.
But roads, or a lack thereof, ensured that the horse and the railroad were still the most practical means of transportation. This was especially true in rual areas, and in the rugged wilderness of the west and southwest.
The Trailblazer’s Road: Origins & Vision
But there were visionaries and dreamers that saw a future wtih a network of modern, all weather roads suitable for the modern travelrs. They envisioned a world that had moved from buckboards to Buicks.
One manifestation of that dream was the National Old Trails Road, the NOTR. It was to be more than a highway. This would be a blurring of past, present and future. It would link America’s pioneer past with a motorized future.
At Jim HInckley’s America we inspire road trips by telling people where to go. And we share America’s story. In today’s post I will share a bit of the National Old Trails Road story, and its connection to Route 66.
In The Beginning
The National Old Trails Road was officially established in 1912. It was one of many the many named auto trails that were fast becoming a nationwide network.
Let me introduce to some of the characters in this story:
- Judge J. M. Lowe was an early advocate of the good-roads movement. He became president of the National Old Trails Road Association and championed the cause of building a coast-to-coast highway. And the idea of connecting the nations historic roads and trails as a coast to coast highway appeaked to him.
- A. L. Westgard (the “Pathfinder”) was another key figure, surveying and promoting routes such as the “Trail to Sunset” (Chicago to Los Angeles) that fed into the broader vision of the NOTR. A Norwegian immigrant, Westagard was more than just a surveyor. He was also a salesman that sold adventure through his writings and presentations.
Judge Lowe once told a national committee:
“Other roads ought to be built. … We have selected, and are concentrating our efforts on this as being entitled to first consideration.”
From its inceeption the NOTR was envisioned as something special. This would be a road that linked the nation’s past to its motoring future.
From East Coast Beginnings to Western Plains
The route began on the Atlantic coast and stretched westward to Los Angeles. Over the years there would be various realignments. But one thing remained consistent. This was the highway where the past was as important as the future.
In the east it followed the corridor of the old National Road, one of the country’s federally funded roads. It continued west into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. And as the number of travelers grew, towns along the road quickly came to realize the economic potential of the NOTR.
In Colorado and New Mexico, the theme of linking past with future continued. Sections of the historic Santa Fe Trail, Beale Road, and others were adapted for the automobile.
The Western Stretch & The Birth of a Legend
Initially the NOTR followed Trail To Sunset diagonally across Arizona through Springerville, to the Ocean to Ocean Highway at Yuma. Realignment in 1913 would have a far reaching impact.
This adjustment had the NOTR follow the Beale Road, and the railroad, across northern Arizona to the Colorado River. And in California it followed he railroad, portions of the Mojave Road and the Old Spanish Trail.
With establishment of the newly minted U.S. numbered highway system in 1926, much of the NOTR’s western portion became part of U.S. Route 66.
So when you cruise Route 66 in the southwest and California, it is easy to see why the highway was billed as the Main Street of America.
Monumental Mothers & Roadside Tributes
A tangible link to the NOTR, and that pioneering highways origins, is the Madonna of the Trail statues. Commissioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in the late 1920s, twelve identical monuments were placed in each of the states through which the NOTR passed.
These statues depicting a rugged pioneer mother, holding her child, and leading her young were the image of westward movement and family courage. They linked the pioneering spirit of travelrs on the NOTR with those of the previous century.
If we have inspired you to start thinking of a NOTR road trip, here are some tips and trivia for the notebook:
- The dedication ceremony for one of the Madonna statues (in Bethesda, Maryland) drew 5,000 people.
- The Arizona Madonna is placed in Springerville, Arizona. It was originally planned for Kingman, Arizona. The reason for this is a complicated story that is not fully understood. But there is evidence of a contentious political squabble.
- The sculptor of the statues was August Leimbach, a German-American artist who created the figures for the DAR-commission.
where to find them:
- Bethesda, Maryland
- Beallsville, Pennsylvania
- Wheeling, West Virginia
- Springfield, Ohio
- Richmond, Indiana
- Vandalia, Illinois
- Lexington, Missouri
- Council Grove, Kansas
- Lamar, Colorado
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Springerville, Arizona
- Upland, California
more trivia
My pa was fond of telling me that it was better to fill the head with useless knowledge than no knowledge at all. So, with that said, here is a bit of trivia you might find of interest.
- Harry S. Truman served as a president of the National Old Trails Road Association. According to the Federal Highway Administration: as president, he traveled the route, met with local officials in every state, and promoted the road. One biographical note quotes him from the road: “This is almost like campaigning for President, except that the people are making promises to me instead of the other way around.”
- In 1915, Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, made a cross-country auto journey with friends from college. Much of his trip followed the National Old Trails Road.
Why the Arizona Madonna (and other weird little quirks) matter
Now, for the curious historian in you: Why is the Arizona Madonna in Springerville rather than Kingman?
- The placement of Madonna statues followed DAR criteria (local chapter presence, accessibility, along the route) that were sometimes flexed for practical reasons.
- In Arizona, Kingman met many criteria and was a major hub on the route. But funding disagreements, competition with DAR chapters, and a vague campaign of behind the scenes of political back room dealing led to the statues placement in Springerville.
For those developing tourism in their community, there is to be a lesson learned in this. Place matters not because it’s the biggest town, but because the local community embraces the story and builds the momentum. If you want your town to be the one on the route, it helps to ready your chapter, ready your story, and own it.
From Historic Trail to Highway Legend: Link to Route 66
One of the greatest tools for towns looking to capitalize on heritage and cultural tourism and road-trip marketing is to make the past relevant. As with Route 66, communities along the NOTR, have a golden opportunity.
These are not some obscure or forgotten byways. They have stories that are compelling.
- Much of the National Old Trails Road’s western portion was incorporated into U.S. Route 66 when the federal highway numbering system was instituted in 1926.
- The route alignment through Needles, California (and sections at the California–Arizona border) used the old NOTR alignment (including the Old Trails Bridge at the Colorado) before, during and after the Route 66 era.
- For communities on the old NOTR alignment but off the classic “66” path, the pitch becomes: “We’re on the original road before the Mother Road.” That’s your marketing hook.
Drive the Corridor: What You Can See & Where You Can Stop
Here’s your Jim-Hinckley style cheat-sheet for mapping a drive, and picking stops. First, you can divide the full route into three segments: East & Midwest, Central & Southwest, and the West.
East & Midwest: From Baltimore (or nearby) across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri.
- Stop at Vandalia, Illinois for the Madonna statue in front of the old state capitol.
- Much of this stretch will give the impression of time travel.
Central & Southwest: Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, into Arizona.
- Las Vegas, New Mexico marks a junction where the old trails meet the auto-era highway. This is also a highly recommended detour for the Route 66 traveler.
- Springerville, Arizona: includes the Madonna of the Trail statue—and a great community story about claiming the monument.
West: Arizona into California, finishing in Los Angeles (or near the coast).
- Visit the Old Trails Bridge on the Colorado River at the California-Arizona line. Did you know that this bridge appears in the film adaption of The Grapes fof Wrath and Easy Rider?
- While driving Route 66 through the Black Mountains of western Ariizona, look for traces of the pre 1921 NOTR that was notorious for grades that were in excess of 25 degrees!
- Finish in L.A.—where the journey meets the Pacific. And don’t forget to grab a photo at the Madonna of the Trail statue in Upland. This is one of two statues along the Route 66 corridor.
Why This Story Matters for Jim Hinckley’s America
This isn’t just “another old highway”. If you are a fan of the great American road trip, this adventure checks all of the boxes.
Final Thoughts
When you next hit the highway and you’re rolling past a faded roadside sign or a small town that looks like it’s been bypassed, stop and remember. You may be following an old trail that carried oxen and wagons west, then Model Ts and early families. The National Old Trails Road encourages us to remember that every road has a story. And if you tell that story well, any community along the route can become a destination.
So bring your spirit of wonder—and when you drive the NOTR corridor, and remember the pioneer mothers, the road-builders, the auto-tourists, the small towns that said “Yes, we’ll host the next stop”. That, my friends, is road-trip America.
Drive safe. Drive curious. And keep discovering.
— Jim Hinckley
Thank you. Shared adventures are the best adventures.