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D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4
of goods and people with unprecedented ease. Stretching from
the rocky Atlantic coast in Maine to the sun-kissed shores of the
Pacific Ocean over 4,000 miles away in Washington, the route
was a visual feast of beautiful landscapes, from the rolling hills of
the Appalachians to the majestic peaks of the Rockies. Along the
way, travelers encountered attractions and landmarks that were
the heart of America's identity, including the Great Lakes, the
Soo Locks, Glacier National Park, the Columbia River, and Puget
Sound. Those early travelers who explored the route in their
four-cylinder jalopies embarked on a voyage of discovery, where
the past and present converged across the landscape of America.
Like many innovations, roads like the Roosevelt Highway
"paved the way" for their own demise. Recognizing the appeal
of such highways, the federal government began financing, or-
ganizing, and overseeing the nation's network of roads. Then
in 1926, the U.S. government established the numbered route
system, taking over many legs of the Roosevelt Highway in the
process. But the real death knell happened a few years later on
October 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed and all the
gains of the previous year vanished. When the markets closed,
nearly $10 billion was gone. Over the next two weeks, the hem-
orrhaging continued. Before long, a good chunk of the Ameri-
can workforce was unemployed. A great national migration be-
gan. Displaced families took to the American highway in the last
possession they had—their automobile—and headed west.
Committed to bringing exceptional title and escrow
services to Park, Gallatin & Madison Counties
RESIDENTIAL & REFINANCE • COMMERCIAL BUILDER/
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Big Sky, MT 59716
O: 406.993.2644
BOZEMAN
1925 N 22nd Ave #102
Bozeman, MT 59718
O: 406.587.7702
LIVINGSTON
207 S Main St
Livingston, MT 59047
O: 406.333.0013
Come Together
EnjoyLewistown.com v (406) 535-5436
Funding Provided By Lewistown Hoteliers Tourism Business Improvement District
216 NE Main
Lewistown, MT
406-535-5468
TrailsEndMotelMT.us
216 7th Avenue S
Lewistown, MT
406-535-5411
TheCalvertHotel.com
520 E Main
Lewistown, MT
406-535-5496
B-Bmotel.com
102 Wendell
Lewistown, MT
406-707-4541
Super8.com
211 E Main
Lewistown, MT
406-535-8721
YogoInn.com
in Lewistown
