To show farmers and towns what a hard-surfaced road could be, the Lincoln Highway Association encouraged "seedling miles" of concrete along its route. Grand Island's, finished on November 3, 1915, was the first in Nebraska and the second in the nation, built for $1,170 raised locally by Fred W. Ashton. A 1931 realignment of the highway left it alone, and today it is the only original seedling mile that has never been widened or covered with asphalt.

Visiting: the seedling mile is Seedling Mile Road on the east side of Grand Island, beside U.S. 30. A historical marker placed in 2010 by the Nebraska Department of Roads and History Nebraska stands in the median about 750 feet west of U.S. 30 and Stuhr Road. Part of the Lincoln Highway and the Great Platte River Road.

Information: Grand Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, 201 W. Third St.; 308-382-4400.