Lincoln Highway Monument – Laramie, Wyoming - Atlas Obscura

Lincoln Highway Monument

The high point on the 16th president's eponymous roadway is marked by a massive version of his head. 

763
412

To mark the highest elevation along the cross-country thoroughfare known as the Lincoln Highway, the Wyoming Parks Commission, well, commissioned the building of a titanic bust of Honest Abe himself which, despite being moved, still looms near passersby on I-80.

Built in 1959 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 16th president’s birth, the giant presidential visage originally sat on a spot called Sherman Summit, which at almost 9,000 feet above sea level was the highest point along the entire road. The two ton bronze head sits on a 30-foot granite spire, but seems to peer down over the edge thanks to a cartoonish discrepancy between the size of the head and the much smaller shoulders it is connected to. The bust itself is another 13-feet tall atop its perch and is hollow inside containing only lightning rods, some ladders, and later on the ashes of its creator.

After the I-80 highway was completed, the monument was moved to a new spot alongside the new road where it remains to this day. Its new location is actually 200-feet lower than its previous spot, but it is unlikely to be seen as any less impressive by any motorists who fall under the giant icon’s bronzy gaze. 

In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web