Supporters of some highways proclaim
their road to be "America's Main Street."
This can lead to a bit of confusion. Imagine being in
a town with more than one street with any name! (Okay,
everyone from Atlanta ignore this last statement.)
The expression "America's Main
Street" was first used in 1926 by Judge Thomas
Lowe to describe the National Old Trails Highway. From
that road, Routes 40 and 66 emerged. To be historically
correct, only the National Old Trails Highway can claim
title to the expression. By extension, parts
of Routes 40 and 66 can use this title. Anyone who uses
the title "America's Main Street" for any
other road is laying claim to a title to which they
have no historical justification!
Still, I do not wish to argue or quarrel
about the Main Street claim. Instead, I have sought
to give Route 40 a better and unique title: America's
Golden Highway. Here are some of my rationale:
- At the zenith of the Golden Age of Automobiling
(ca. 1956), Route 40 was America's premiere transcontinental
highway, carrying more automotive traffic than any
other.
- Traveling east to west Route 40 terminates
in the Golden State.
- In Kansas and Colorado, parts of Route 40 are called
the Golden Belt.
- Route 40 passes through Golden,
Colorado.
- Colorado's first gold discovery
was in Clear Creek Canyon just west of Idaho Springs.
- In Nevada, Route 40 passes by the
Lone Tree Mine, the largest gold mining operation
in North America.
- Route 40 passes through Gold Run,
California.
- Route 40 passes through California's
gold mining region.
In short, no other federal transcontinental
highway comes close to matching the history, culture
and prestige of U.S. Route 40!
