The Roads that Lead to Lincoln: Honest Abe on the Historic Highways of Illinois
The Roads that Lead to Lincoln: Honest Abe on the Historic Highways of Illinois
The Land of Lincoln will be remembering the 150th anniversary of Civil War events in the coming years, and thus a look at Abraham Lincoln remains a relevant topic. In this presentation, we begin with a whimsical look at the impact that Lincoln has made on our culture, from businesses such as Lincoln Towing and Lincoln Insurance, to cars such as the Lincoln Continental. Next, we trace the major events of his life from his arrival in Illinois in 1830 until he left for Washington as President-elect in 1861.
From New Salem to Springfield and on the trail of the Eighth Judicial Circuit through central Illinois, we follow Lincoln as he sets out as a young man to work as a store clerk, postmaster, surveyor, and then as a lawyer. He is elected to the Illinois General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives. He runs for U.S. Senate, and then he is elected as the nations 16th President. When the Civil War is all but over, he is assassinated, and his funeral train makes a somber journey into Illinois at Chicago, then southwest to Springfield.
In the final section of the presentation, we take a virtual tour along Route 66, the 8th Judicial Circuit, the Great River Road, and the Lincoln Highway in search of sites related to the life of Abraham Lincoln. The tour includes images of the places visited by Lincoln, as well as monuments and museums dedicated to remembering and interpreting his legacy. The tour includes the well-known sites, such as New Salem State Park; but also included are unmarked historic locations, such as the places where Mary Todd Lincoln lived in Chicago. The emphasis is on the places that travelers can visit to better understand Lincoln while enjoying the historic highways of Illinois.
Click Here to view or print out this page as a .pdf file.
Contact Us for more information on Windy City Road Warrior Presentations!
