Description of the Route

The Highway heads through Wilbur and back onto US 2. Here is a photo of an old gas station which is now a winery in Wilbur. After Wilbur the route continued straight onto Lartzen Rd. The old route stayed due east on this dirt road into Creston. 

There is a 1918 alignment that is now called Hills rd that veers left, curves right just before the new hwy and follows the new hwy just to the right as you drive east and continue into town. There is little trace of this old alignment. It is visible from the satellite.

We came into Creston and followed US 2 through town. Creston gets its name as it is the crest of the hill and the highest point in Lincoln County. 

As you leave Creston, the old route veered right onto Chip Dump rd. This road is dirt as it heads south to the tracks veers left and heads east back to US 2.

Just before this road connects to US 2 in the late 1800’s there is a old wagon road to Davenport. It turned right and crossed the tracks and continued south pass Ice Lake and connects to the Old Hwy about where the new hwy veers away from the tracks. It shows up on the 1911 map. It is visible from the satellite.

The old road splits away from US 2 at the bend just pass where Chip Dump Rd connects back to US 2. This road is now on private property and is now gated.

About a mile and a half, pass the bend you can turn right onto the old hwy and follow it about a mile. The pavement is decent and you can see the cuts and fills in the roadbed. You will have to turn back to continue on to Davenport.

At the rest stop on US 2 near the tracks there used to be a railroad station called Fellows. The maps call the place Telford. 

If you walk up the hill behind the rest stop you can see to old hwy as it follows next to the tracks to meet up to US 2. The old wagon road crosses the rest stop but I can’t find any trace of it.

The old wagon road I believe is the original 1915 -1918 route of the Yellowstone Trail and National Parks Highway. You can see this road from the satellite but it is gated so we couldn’t drive down it. 

I believe this old road connected to Sterett Rd. and headed due east to 7 mile rd. Then it turned left traveled north to Cottonwood Creek Rd. and then east to gunning rd south to US 2 and then east into Davenport. Along C ottonwood Creek Rd we found this steel truss bridge. 

I found on the 1943 Lincoln Co map that the old road crossed the creek where this bridge is. It seems strange to see a steel bridge in the middle of nothing. 

The old Bluestem line of the Great Northern also passed through this gully on the way to Peach, WA an old town submerged by Lake Roosevelt. The tracks were never laid but they did finish the grade. 

In Davenport, we stopped and took photos of the old courthouse. Then traveled east on Sinclair St. to the old Sunset Hwy. This part of the old Sunset hwy is good asphalt and is still in use. A few miles up the Old Sunset Hwy, the road turns into original concrete pavement. The concrete is still in good shape as we headed to Reardan.