2011 By-Pass of the Lincoln Highway’s King Tower Cafe




Photo courtesy of King Tower Cafe Facebook's site.

 

Tama, Iowa’s King Tower Café has been in operation since 1937 on the historic Lincoln Highway, which was also known as Highway 30 until a few months ago. Now a four lane Tama Toledo by-pass has opened connecting the two lane Highway 30 just east of town with the four lane state wide project near the Meskawki Casino just west of Tama.

What the new Highway 30 by-pass effectively does is routes all traffic just to the north of the King Tower Café and historic Lincoln Highway bridge, built in 1915. The bridge is one of the few remaining original structures of the early nationwide highway.

The by-pass result is a quicker ride through the two mid-Iowa cities but has dramatically reduced traffic to the café and surrounding businesses.

In its day, the King Tower Café offered food, overnight lodging (18 cabins), a service station, wrecker service, and native souvenirs to motorists on the Lincoln Highway. The last remaining cabin is located just behind the café, north of the gravel parking lot.

The café was closed for the day when I went to see it last week. I decided to photograph the café’s exterior. Prominent are the King Tower sign and iconic Indian neon sign that still defy the ages. Compare those images to a 1950s era image that I found on the café’s Facebook site. Come see this roadway icon on your next trip across Iowa. You'll need to take the eastern exit off the by-pass to visit the cafe and bridge. Know that.

Tama, Iowa's Lincoln Highway Bridge: Then and Now

The Lincoln Highway bridge located in 42N country's Tama, Iowa (41.96N, 92.57W) is almost as old as the highway itself. The unique bridge with the words, LINCOLN HIGHWAY built in the side walls was constructed in 1915, just two years after the idea of the highway hatched. It is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge along the original highway.

Above is a photo believed to be from 1915. Looking east over the bridge is the mud filled highway featuring a horse drawn wagon. The bottom photo was taken 95 years later on March 21, 2010 looking in the same direction. Note how much construction is located along the highway.

In 2010 the Highway 30 (Lincoln Highway) Tama by-pass project is under construction to the left of these photos. The new speedway skirts around this area and will greatly reduce the traffic near the bridge. Once completed travellers on the new Highway 30 will not readily see the bridge or the King Tower Cafe without making a special side journey. The restaurant opened in 1937 as a one-stop filling station, garage, wrecker service, café, and featured 18 cabins. It is located along the original Lincoln Highway just about a half mile east from this bridge (on the left.)Join the 3rd Annual Iowa Lincoln Highway Motor Tour across Iowa from August 26-29, 2010 with a stop in Tama. For more information contact Jeff LaFollette at 563-349-3047 or email at jefflaf@peoplepc.com. Know that.

Lincoln Highway Historic Bridge at Tama, Iowa

Three years after the first trancontinential highway was completed in the United States, the town of Tama, Iowa (a 42N city) constructed a one-of-kind showpiece that connected to the Lincoln Highway. Tama's Lincoln Highway bridge was built in 1915 and spans Mud Creek just east of the town. What makes the bridge so unique is that the guard rail sides spell out LINCOLN HIGHWAY in glorious block lettering concrete. Today the fully operational bridge is celebrated as a member of the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is also the center of attention for an annual local celebration of the Lincoln Highway usually held in May. Many Lincoln Highway enthusiast tours often stop in Tama to observe the active link to the past.

Within a few hundred yards directly west of the bridge on 5th Street E the road joins present day US Highway 30, which runs either directly on or in parallel to the original Lincoln Highway. Near that junction is a still functioning road cafe complete with a neon Indian head profile sign. Tama is home to the Meskwaki tribe who bought their settlement area in the 1800s. If you follow the original Lincoln Highway west of town you will travel near the settlement. Look for the red, white and blue L signs like seen above to guide you.

In 2009, the Iowa department of transportation is constructing the latest segment of the widening of US Highway 30. Portions of the highway are already four-lane. The plan calls for more sections to be widened from two lanes to four to help with the growing use of the road. Currently work on the Tama bypass is focused on clearing farm and timber land for the construction of the wider lanes, standard exits, entrances and new bridges. The work will connect the existing four lane terminus near the casino west of town to a spot a few miles east of Tama - and the Lincoln Highway bridge.

This means that one day Highway 30 travellers will be guided to the original Lincoln Highway only from an exit on the bypass. There, the 21st century traveller will see the bridge that helped make coast-to-coast travel possible in the early 20th century or at least over Tama's Mud Creek. Know that.