Lee Highway facts for kids
The Lee Highway was a special road system in the United States built a long time ago, connecting New York City on the East Coast all the way to San Francisco on the West Coast. It was one of the first "auto trails," which were like early versions of our modern highways, designed for cars to travel across the country. This highway went through the southern and southwestern parts of the U.S.
The idea for the Lee Highway started in 1919. A doctor named Dr. S.M. Johnson from New Mexico wrote a letter to David Carlisle Humphreys in Virginia. They wanted to create a new national road. So, on December 3, 1919, about 500 people from five different states met in Roanoke, Virginia. They officially formed the Lee Highway Association to make this road happen. The highway was named after Robert E. Lee, a famous general from the American Civil War.
Dr. Samuel Myrtle Johnson's daughter, Katherine Johnson Balcomb, later wrote about how important this highway was to her father. She said he considered it his greatest achievement. As more and more cars were being made, people needed better roads to drive on. Cities along possible routes worked together to get these new roads built through their towns.
One of the first big roads across the country was a memorial to Abraham Lincoln and went through the northern states. Dr. Johnson's idea was to create a similar road, but this one would start in Washington, D.C., go south, and then head west to the Pacific Ocean. He created the Lee Highway Association and worked hard to convince cities along the route to support the idea. People in the South especially liked the idea. Important leaders joined the Association, including Claudius H. Huston, who was the first president, and Cordell Hull, who later became Secretary of State. Dr. Johnson himself was the Director General, managing the whole project.
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Where the Lee Highway Went
The Lee Highway was a very long road! Today, many parts of its original path are now covered by modern U.S. Routes and interstates. Here's a general idea of where it traveled:
East Coast Start
- US 1: From New York City to Washington, D.C..
- US 29: From Washington, D.C., through Arlington County, Virginia, and Fairfax County, Virginia. In some places, it was even called "Lee Highway."
- US 50: A small part of it in Fairfax, Virginia.
- US 211: From Warrenton, Virginia, to New Market, Virginia.
- US 11: From New Market to Bristol, Virginia.
Through the South
- US 11W: From Bristol to Knoxville, Tennessee.
- US 11: From Knoxville to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- US 72: From Chattanooga to Corinth, Mississippi.
- US 45: From Corinth to Selmer, Tennessee.
- US 64: From Selmer to Memphis, Tennessee.
Across the Southwest
- US 70: From Memphis to Alamogordo, New Mexico.
- US 54: From Alamogordo to El Paso, Texas.
- US 180: From El Paso to Las Cruces, New Mexico.
- US 70 (again): From Las Cruces to Globe, Arizona.
- US 60: From Globe to Phoenix, Arizona.
- Arizona SR 85 (and old US 80): From Phoenix to Gila Bend, Arizona.
California Finish
- I-8 (which used to be US 80): From Gila Bend to San Diego, California.
- I-5 (which used to be US 101): From San Diego to Los Angeles, California.
- US 101: From Los Angeles all the way to San Francisco, California.
Lee Highway Names Today
Even though the Lee Highway was replaced by newer roads, many places still use the name "Lee Highway" for their local streets. It's a way to remember the original auto trail.
Virginia
- In Virginia, the Lee Highway was officially set up in 1922. It ran from Washington, D.C., to Bristol, Virginia.
- Today, parts of U.S. Route 29 and U.S. Route 11 in Virginia still carry the name.
- You can find roads named Lee Highway in towns like Warrenton, Virginia, Washington, Virginia, Luray, Virginia, Staunton, Virginia, and Lexington, Virginia.
- In Salem, Virginia, and Roanoke, Virginia, parts of US 11 are also called Lee Highway.
Tennessee
- In East Tennessee, a section of US 11 from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Dixie Lee Junction, Tennessee, is known as Lee Highway.
- The name is also used in Cleveland, Tennessee, and South Pittsburg, Tennessee.
Other States
- You can find roads named Lee Highway in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Also in Florence, Alabama.
- And in Corinth, Mississippi.
