Have you seen this sign?

Boy. I'm really miffed. I received a tip from a fellow highway historian about the nifty, old U.S Highway 61 sign that we used in the book, "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" and in the closing shot of the documentary. Isn't it great?!

Maybe I should say WASN'T it great? It is missing. 

That sign was a remnant of an earlier time and now it is GONE! I called the Wabasha County Highway Department, both townships that have jurisdiction of that stretch of road and MnDOT and no one in an official capacity took down the sign. 

I am heartsick that our efforts to chronicle the highway resulted in the THEFT of this wonderful old sign. We realize that the temptation to take what isn't yours and either keep it for yourself, or use it to make a buck just is too much for some people, so we deliberately didn't say where the sign was. 

We are offering a reward for the return of the sign so it can be placed at either the Winona Co. Historical Society or MHS. 

If anyone has an idea of where that sign is, or whether it was sold, I hope you'll contact us! We'll attempt to check with EBay to see if it was sold at auction. We will also run newspaper ads in the general area of Winona/Kellogg/Wabasha, Minnesota. 

While I understand that offering a reward for an old highway sign may seem stupid and silly, it really sickens me that this piece of highway history is gone. 

Please spread the word about the missing sign. If you have ideas on how to track it down, do contact me. I really appreciate your help. 

A return visit!

When we set off on this whirlwind of media interviews, signings and talks for the book "Tales of the Road-Highway 61" and the subsequent documentary, it all began on October 15th, 2008 in Grand Marais. It was fun to go back to that harbor town August 1, 2009 to sign books for a huge crowd at Drury Lane Books. 

This is a photo of my youngest soon-to-be reader. This is Clara, who is not yet a year old. Her Mom and Dad bought her a copy of "Tales" and had me sign it to her. How sweet. I wonder what she'll think of it when she finally reads the book someday!

On the flip side is a "seasoned" more mature reader. This is one of my favorite people. The famed Joanne Hart, poet, author, wry observer of life.  Joanne and I met, by chance, at the original border crossing at the Pigeon River between Minnesota and Canada where there is still old Highway 61 alignment. Our meeting is detailed in "Tales". (page 12)  I think the world of Joanne who is a brilliant poet and a wonderful supporter of mine. She wrote a revealing poem about the day our camera crew came to shoot the beginning of the documentary at the old border crossing. I may have to ask her if I can let the rest of the world see it. It really struck me.

The day in Grand Marais was so gratifying because so many came by with books to sign and kind words to say. It makes the long trip well worth it. 

I also paid a return visit to Bear Books in Isanti (see one of my past posts about Bear Books) to sign some books for the store's gregarious owner.  The small, independent bookstores like Drury Lane and Bear Books make me smile. I'm glad they are around.

I'll be around---actually back up on the North Shore--- August 8th at the Sugarloaf Cove Interpretative Center for a talk. I might even try and catch a nap before then! :)