The YellowStone trail

The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile roadway across the upper tier of states in the US.  Initially conceived in 1912, as a reliable road between Ipswich and Aberdeen, South Dakota, the plans quickly stretched to span the entire continent with Yellowstone National Park as a focal point along the way.

Only roads within towns and cities were considered all-weather at the time, and for the most part, no roads existed between towns.  The Yellowstone Trail Association was incorporated in 1918, and the route was identified by yellow bands around telephone poles and trees, arrows painted on barns, and yellow pained rock piles.  For the most part, roadways paralleling railroads were chosen, as the railroad companies selected the most efficient routes.  The US established numbered highway systems in 1926, replacing named highways, and with the Great Depression beginning in 1929, the allure of long-distance travel faded.  The association disbanded in 1930.