How It Began

In 1913 the highway was nothing more than disconnected township roads across Kansas. Departing from the Robidoux Hotel, St. Joseph, MO, the offi cial party designated to log and map out this new highway set out on September 21st, 1913. From left to right - Governor George H. Hodges, A. Q. Miller (Sec. Rock Island Highway), D. E. Watkins (Sec. Sunfl ower Auto Club), H. J. Leslie (Driver) and R. J. Edwards ("Blue Book" Representative). ("Blue Book" Representative). How It Began

Imagine it, the year is 1913. The automobile is just now becoming more accessible, opening up the country and opportunities to the common person. Travel enthusiasts were born, business tycoons and entrepreneurs became road-boosters and formed auto-clubs. They raised money and helped to organize crews to build infrastructure, they had visions of benefi ting commerce and tourism throughout their regions. The open road was calling and everyone wanted to answer the call. On March 21, 1913 in Belleville, KS the Rock Island Highway Association, named for the fact that most of the route paralleled the tracks of the Rock Island Railroad, was formed. On the morning of September 21, 1913, Kansas Governor, George H. Hodges, D.R. Watkins, W.S. Gearhardt, A.Q. Miller and officials from the Blue Book Corporation left the Robidoux Hotel in St Joseph, MO in a two-car convoy; destination, Denver CO. Their mission: to map the route across Kansas. A.Q. Miller, Editor of the Belleville Telescope, was in charge of publicity and promotion for the trek. Due to his infl uence in the area publishing, it came as no surprise when many towns along the way held ceremonies and welcoming parties to greet the governor and these pioneering men. Imagine, taking four days to cross Kansas in a borrowed touring car with a soft top! That’s just what the team did, and on September 25 they arrived in Denver at 2:00 AM, hubcaps crusted in mud, sharing stories of their adventure with greeters and reporters! All the while hundreds of other road-boosters, auto-clubs, and business tycoons also had of roads across America! One group in particular started in 1910 had a grand vision for the building of the fi rst transcontinental highway (New York to San Francisco). Progressively re-organizing, merging and collaborating with existing groups the Pike’s Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway (PPOO) came to life. On March 18th, 1914, at a meeting in St. Joseph, MO the Rock Island Highway was merged into this larger vision by the federation and alliance of state and interstate associations already in existence. An account of the event appeared in the May 1914 issue of Better Roads & Streets: "The Pike's Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway is the latest development in the transcontinental route situation.” The course of the Pike's Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway traveled through the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. The affiliating organizations were: • The Springfi eld-Hannibal Highway Association through Illinois • The Hannibal-St. Joseph Cross State Highway Association through Missouri • The Rock Island Highway Association through Kansas • The Lincoln Highway Association through Colorado • The Utah Division of the Pike's Peak Ocean to Ocean

Highway Association

When the U.S. Highway System was laid out in 1926, the Rock Island Highway, which had become integrated into the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, was designated as US Highway 36. In his lifetime, A.Q. Miller served simultaneously on three highway associations: US Highway 81, the north/south Meridian Highway from Winnipeg, Canada to Mexico City, US Highway 36 (formerly known as Rock Island Highway), and The Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean, serving as the Executive Vice President. The crossing of Highways 81 & 36 in Belleville, KS coined the phrase Crossroads of the Nation, the place where these two great roadways met. It is said that A.Q. Miller epitomized the image of a ‘road-booster’ during the 20th century! He is credited for fathering two great national highways, as chronicled in his biography: "Jayhawk Editor: A Biography of A.Q. Miller, Sr." by James D. Callahan (Los Angeles: Sterling press, 1955) Another great point of pride from the current Association is the establishment of the US 36 Museum located in Norcatur, KS. The museum opened in 2017 and serves as the place where the history of these Highway Associations can live on. Displays are changed throughout the year and donations are always welcomed. Some featured displays have included highway signs, old postcards, license plates, the Miss US 36 contest (which ran from 1951-1954), and more. For more information about the museum contact should be made to the museum director, Bob Strevey 785-693-4597. The US Highway 36 Association, with one name or another, has been going strong for over 107 years, the current Association is pleased to put out this travel guide highlighting the unique fi nds and treasures one can discover by traveling Highway 36 through the great state of Kansas.

Doniphan

COUNTY

Landscape by chance and historically defined

Anyone familiar with traveling along US Highway 36 in Kansas will tell you that it’s easy to navigate, has many welcoming towns along the way to stop for food, fuel and activities, but also how surprisingly scenic the drive is. Doniphan County, located in the extreme northeast corner of the state of Kansas, fits that description and goes on to dispel the “Kansas is flat, bare and arid” stigma. In fact, the unique combination of its location, climate and history makes it a must-travel landscape along your next Kansas road trip. During the Pleistocene Era, glaciers moved across a large section of North America and edged just into the northeast corner of Kansas. Ground up rocks turned into fine material and when the glaciers melted, the fine material, known as loess soil, was left behind. The loess soil is very rich and fertile and ranges 60 to more than 100 feet deep on the river bluffs in Doniphan County. The fertile soil, combined with the county’s usually ample rainfall, makes the land perfect for crop production and fills the landscape with steep hills, trees and river bluffs. Houses sprinkled throughout the county can even be spotted atop the bluffs providing breathtaking views. Camera worthy panoramas and historical barns await those who drive north from Troy on the aptly named Glacial Hills Scenic Byway to the 4-State Scenic Lookout in White Cloud. From this spot, viewers can gaze out over the meandering Missouri River and see far enough to identify land in the four states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, on a clear day. The Missouri river, which borders the county on three sides, gives Doniphan County its unique shape and is casually referred to as the “squiggly line of Kansas.” Take a map and drive along the winding river roads near Wathena to experience the fascinating terrain. Historically, Lewis and Clark utilized the Missouri River on their discovery expedition and traveled around the eastern and northern