DREAMS COME TRUE
There was a time when John C. Nicholson, of Newton, was looked upon as a dreamer. It was in the days when he talked of his Meridian Highway from Winnipeg to Mexico. People smiled tolerantly when Nicholson unfolded his plans for an international highway. But John C. Nicholson was more than a dreamer. He was a worker. The Meridian Highway became his hobby. He was elected president of an organization pledged to make his dream come true. He worked, he planned, he traveled. He spent his own money. He no doubt talked Meridian Highway in his sleep. He certainly talked little else while awake. And through his tireless efforts his dream gradually assumed shape and became a reality.
Judge for yourself. By the end of the present year the Meridian Highway will be surfaced from Winnipeg, Canada, to Monterrey, Mexico, a total distance of over 2,000 miles, with the exception of three or four small gaps totaling less than 50 miles. It is now the only highway across the United States designated as a U. S. Primary Highway and given the same number, U. S. 81. It connects three great nations on the North American continent. It is a lasting monument to one man, John C. Nicholson, who combined energy with vision, a combination that makes dreams come true.
And now this indomitable worker has an even greater dream, that of a Pan-American Highway, an extension of the Meridian Highway on down through Central and South America, to Valparaiso and Buenos Aires, a grand total of 14,700 miles, connecting ten nations on two continents. Think of that for an automobile speedway. Think of the possibilities for the tourist. Consider the benefits it will bring to our business relations with these countries and the better understanding between nations which would surely result. It is a dream that almost takes the breath away by its magnitude, this possibility of “Rolling Down to Rio” in a Rolls-Royce, yet it is sure to come true in time. It is no wilder a dream now than was Nicholson’s first conception of the Meridian Highway.—Newton Journal, March 29, 1928.