2008 Year in Review

THE TRAVELERS CAME

Today because of the heavy traffic through Morrison, the State of Illinois plans to build a road that will by-pass the city to alleviate the problem. In the 1920's and 1930's Morrison was celebrating all the traffic that the new Lincoln Highway was bringing through our town. Automobiles were becoming commonplace. No longer did travelers have to worry about getting stuck in mud holes.

Building the highway was not without its problems. It was supposed to be finished in Whiteside County by the fall of 1919. As usually happens, all things do not go as planned. They had problems getting building material, so by the end of the year only 35% of the road had been completed. They did finally get it done, and the Lincoln Highway became a dream come true!

New businesses sprang up to accommodate the new traveling generation. There were restaurants along the way. Gas stations were now a necessity. Of course, travelers had to have a place to stay, so travelers’ tourist parks were born.

At the west edge of Morrison there was The Log Cabin restaurant, gas station, and cabins. You can still see two of the cabins standing by Rock Creek at the Unionville bridge. There were the same kind of facilities between Morrison and Fulton, called Twin Oaks, and a couple of others in Morrison soon followed. We may have a story about those in the future.

I guess the true Frontier Inn or Holiday Inn of that day, in our town, was the Gray Shingle Camp. The cabins stood at the east end of Morrison where the Park View Motel now stands. If you look at the west end of the present building you can still see the top of one of the cabins.

The gas station stood on the hill along the highway and was built by Roy Smaltz in 1927. To complement his gas station business, he built four cabins in 1928 to house tourists who were traveling the new highway. During the summers of 1929 and 1930 he had about 900 customers. With the business growing, Smaltz built four more cabins in 1931 and housed 1200 people that summer. In 1932 he had 1350 visitors, and in 1933, the first year of the Chicago World’s Fair, he had 1670.

They held an eleventh anniversary celebration in 1938. By that time, there were nine modern cabins with two more under construction. They had an additional cabin with four beds so truckers could stop and rest. All the cabins had modern plumbing (get this), some with showers. There was a central bathhouse with hot and cold running water!

They had a large fireplace built in the park where everyone, even local folks, could come to cook, if they wished. There was a grass tennis court and a volleyball court. Mr. Smaltz had a large house next door where he would provide rooms should there be an overflow from the cabins. I don't imagine that the manager of a Country Inn would invite you to stay in his house!

Mr. Smaltz operated the business until the late 1940's when he sold it to M. L. Andrews. In the mid-1950's it was remodeled and renamed the Parkview Motel.

The Lincoln Highway did let the world travel through our town and often stop for awhile. I have been told that Morrison is the only town in Illinois where the road travels through a residential district, thus giving travelers a chance to see the beautiful old mansions along our street. I am sure our town would have been a different town today if the Lincoln Highway had not come.

Many people have stopped by the Morrison’s Heritage Museum to see the Lincoln Highway exhibit. If you haven't--it is not too late. The exhibit will be on display until October. The museum is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 and at other times by appointment. See the things that are Morrison's heritage.

If you have pictures or stories of this era that you would like to share, give me a call.

by Orville Goodenough, Guest Columnist
August 29, 2008