US ROUTE 20 A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway by Bryan T. Farr A Book Proposal Bryan T Farr 16 Congress St #2 Lynn, MA 01904 cell (617) 733 5796 btfarr@historicus20.com www.historicus20.org
US ROUTE 20: A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway Overview US Route 20 is the longest intact trans continental highway in the United States today at 3,365 miles. Many travelers are looking for alternatives to the major interstate highways or have nostalgia for the small towns along two lane roads. Historic US Route 20 is one of the last great highways that one can still drive in its entirety that has not been lost to history or rerouted to the interstates. When one thinks of the traditional American highway, Route 66 is probably the first thing to come to mind. But in fact, Route 66 officially no longer exists, where Route 20 still meanders through small town America, just as it did in 1926. Route 20 has always played a second fiddle to other highways, having been overlooked by many highway groups, organizations and tourism officials. This book proposes to highlight this great forgotten American highway. Route 20 connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and winds through some of the major locations of American History. Some well known travelers from history include: George Washington, who traveled the highway at the start of the American Revolution and Lewis and Clark, who briefly followed the route. It was also part of the Oregon Trail for those brave pioneers venturing westward bound to start a new life. Great features of the American landscape await those who travel Route 20, from ancient mountains in the Berkshires, the glacially formed Finger Lakes and Great Lakes, Nebraska s sand hills, to the sage brush high deserts of the west. US 20 also winds through the first National Park in the world Yellowstone. No GPS is needed, all one has to do is follow the signage that says 20 and the journey through history begins. Upon creation of this book, the author was inspired to create the parent organization, the Historic US Route 20 Association, to promote this historically significant highway and preserve it for future travelers who wish to take this nostalgic journey through scenic America.
COMPETITION US ROUTE 20: A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway could not be more timely with tourism in the US increasing by 10% since 2000, and more organizations popping up to promote historic highways, people are eagerly looking for new adventures. Several books about Route 66, (Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis) the Lincoln Highway and even Route 6 have recently been published, with a growing interest in these roads trending. The recent books, Massachusetts Historic Route 20 & New York s Historic Route 20 by Michael J. Till have been recently published by Arcadia in its Postcard History Series. These books deal with the authors collection of antique postcards, published in a black and white book format. The history provided is brief and at times taken from the back of the post card itself. Presently, there are not any books written specifically about US Route 20 as a whole that have been mass marketed, with vivid color photographs, which detail the journey one would take across the United States on this one highway. This book would serve as both a travel guide and a comprehensive history as well as an impetus for future books, by this author, dedicated to specific regions or states where Route 20 travels.
BOOK FORMAT US ROUTE 20: A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway will be an approximate full color, 200 page book. The proposed work will be presented geographically east to west as one travels from Boston, MA to Newport, OR along US Route 20 that include twelve states, 12 national parks and 3 state capitals. The book begins with an acknowledgment to the many individuals and organizations that helped the author in preparing the book. The book is organized into twelve chapters each representing a state in which US 20 is routed, along with an introduction and brief history. Each chapter is depicted with a Route 20 shield that incorporates the state name and includes a map of US Route 20 in its respected state, two photographs showing the state borders and specific facts including; total road length, highest elevation, lowest elevation, eastern terminus and western terminus. The present day photographs in the book have all been taken by the author and each photograph is captioned with a paragraph containing an anecdote about the site in the photograph or a historical fact, researched by the author. Photos are intended to be full bleed, and multi related spreads. The information presented steers away from a traditional tour guide format, but can easily be followed and read with additional information supplemented from the author s website. An Appendix offers: 1) Oddities, photographs (1 sheet) depicting mistakes made in the local design of the Route 20 road sign (a popular discussion point with road enthusiasts); 2) Antique Road Shields, photographs (1 sheet) depict the nearly 90 year history of the US Route shield from each state. 3) References and Sources, a bibliography for the works cited and used in the book. The author has created a mock version of the book in PDF format for his own personal use and reference. This PDF file is available upon request.
TARGET AUDIENCE US ROUTE 20: A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway will appeal to the traveler, road enthusiast & history buff of all ages who yearn for the simpler days of road travel and a guide to take them across the United States all on one route. SUGGESTED MARKETING Direct Mail Print advertisements placed in regional and national publications: Yankee Magazine, circ. 500,000 AAA: Horizons, circ. 1,773,000 Life in the Finger Lakes, circ. 75,000 The Boston Globe Magazine, circ. 225,482 State and Regional Guide & Tourism Books Place in bookstores, welcome centers, visitor centers, National Park visitor centers and local businesses/shops. Promotion on the authors organizational web page www.historicus20.org Press Releases: Newspapers along US 20 and other major markets Local Historical Societies and Library s Car Clubs Chambers of Commerce To coincide with the book s publication, book signings will be planned at bookstores, libraries and historical societies along US Route 20 and at other highway centered events. The subject matter lends itself well to popular issues on many television shows and radio shows including NPR and local travel shows. The author has appeared at various meetings and organizations to promote Route 20 and is willing to vigorously promote the book in these venues and in person.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Bryan Farr had a love for history early on, always eager to seek out new old facts and interesting stories in ways most people would glance right over. It is no wonder that over the years his love for this became focused on a highway. He grew up knowing Route 20 as the road that went from north of his grandparents cottage on Cayuga Lake, in New York's Finger Lakes region. It was one summer day in 1997 that Bryan took a borrowed camera and embarked on his first "road trip". Although it was just around the northern part of Cayuga Lake, a passion for photography and road trips was born and Route 20 was a part of his first experience. The road trips and photographic journeys grew over the years to include all eleven Finger Lakes, and eventually Bryan ended up traveling through all of New England and parts of Atlantic Canada before moving to the Boston area in 2004. Here he learned, by driving back and forth from his hometown to Boston, Route 20 serpentined the interstates and ended in Boston. It became a dream and goal to one day travel this highway in its entirety. His photographs have appeared in Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine and most recently on WBZ CBS4 Boston. In the late spring of 2010, fate would play an interesting role in directing Bryan to Route 20. What started out as a long range plan, quickly turned into a spontaneous trip across the United States and all of it on US 20. The trip was completed in 14 days and over 1800 pictures were shot. After a lot of planning and organizing, this mission grew exponentially into the non profit organization, the Historic US Route 20 Association. Not only was Route 20 a hobby or a photo project. It became a significant part of Bryan's life. Mr. Farr is a meteorologist by trade, and graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville. He has worked on TV, and in the private sector including the famous Mt. Washington Observatory. When not traveling on Route 20; he enjoys the weather, hurricanes, wineries, home improvement projects, visiting the National Parks in the US and escaping to Vermont for a little R&R.
Acknowledgments Introduction Brief History PROPOSED OUTLINE US ROUTE 20 A Journey Through History Across America s Longest Highway Massachusetts The Bay State New York The Empire State Pennsylvania The Keystone State Ohio The Buckeye State Indiana The Hoosier State Illinois The Prairie State Iowa The Hawkeye State Nebraska The Cornhusker State Wyoming The Equality State Montana The Treasure State Idaho The Gem State Oregon The Beaver State Appendix A Oddities Various spread of US Route 20 shields with odd designs Appendix B Antique Road Shields Depicting the nearly 90 year history of US 20 shields. References
SUBMITTED PHOTOS Attached are six requested photographs all shot by the author, Bryan T. Farr. 1. Massachusetts Wayside Inn Sudbury. The Wayside Inn considers itself to be the oldest operating inn in the country, having been built in 1716. The structure sits along an original section of the historic Boston Post Road. It was made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow s 1863 book, Tales of a Wayside Inn. Henry Ford purchased the Inn in 1923, and began a major preservation movement. Ford used his own money to have Route 20 moved away from the inn for a two mile stretch when a report claimed that vibrations from increased automobile traffic were weakening the foundation of the historic inn. Ford sold the newly built road to the State for one dollar when completed. 2. New York Boat Houses Canandaigua Lake Pier. These small houses were built to store boats, grapes and other materials related to railroad and steamboat traffic of the early 20 th century. The boat houses are presently uninhabited to preserve their nature and are part of the Canandaigua Historic District. US Route 20 originally ran along the north shore of the lake and by the pier before being rerouted onto a modern bypass. 3. Indiana Morning Sunrise Near Shipshewana. Indiana is a part of the Corn Belt in the mid west States, where the predominant crop is corn. In this section of Indiana resides the third largest Amish population in the country. Horses and buggies frequently use this stretch of US 20. 4. Iowa Rural Iowa Moorland. Wide open plains and farmland define the Midwest along this picturesque section of US 20. A grass roots organization has successfully pushed for the rebuilding of US 20 to an interstate grade highway south of the original route. Many of these rural sections are being relocated. (Suggested book cover) 5. Wyoming Shoshone National Forest. Shoshone was the first federally protected National Forest in the country in 1891. Its 2.4 million acres serve as the eastern border to Yellowstone National Park. 6. Oregon Next Gasoline 99 Miles Hines. The drive between Burns and Bend is mostly high desert with little vegetation except for grasses and sage brush. This area is one of the least populated locations in the United States.