News Release

 

History preserved on DOT Web site

AMES, Iowa – Over the years the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has collected an eclectic mix of historic, transportation-related images. Now, electronic copies of more than 2,300 of these photographs and glass negatives, some dating back to the late 1800s, are being made available on the DOT's Web site at http://165.206.203.102/ERMSPortal/HistoricalPhotos_Home.aspx.

Many of the images are one-of-a-kind, rare or unique, and are part of the Iowa DOT's historic glass plate negative and archival collections. The photos cover an assortment of transportation issues, including: the early interstate highway system; snow removal; line painting; Iowa officials; early Iowa history; the Adopt-A-Highway program; DOT facilities; roads and streets; city streets and buildings; pipelines; bicycles; road building; slipform paver; rivers; trains; Kate Shelley; horse-powered vehicles; vintage motor vehicles; the Lincoln Highway; aviation; William Robinson; interurban railroads; streetcars; and buses.

The Iowa DOT is dedicated to the preservation of Iowa 's transportation-related photographic heritage. The mission of this project is to make these resources available and useful to the public, and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. Understandably, the original physical archives (most are glass negatives) are extremely susceptible to damage from handling and remain inaccessible to the public. Therefore, the primary purpose of the Web site is to provide a means of public access to the images in the form of digitized copies.

Many of the photographs in the collection were taken by the department's official staff photographers, but photos donated by employees or public throughout the years have also been included. Due to the shear volume of photos, only a limited number of images are currently being offered on the Web. Additional images will be added periodically, as resources permit.

Visitor's to the site will be able to browse the more than 2,300 images currently available, search the collection, and select thumbnail images to be moved to a lightbox (similar to a shopping cart on a retail site) to be examined further and/or downloaded. Images can be downloaded for non-commercial use without obtaining permission. To use any of the images for commercial gain, permission must be obtained in writing from Iowa DOT officials.

 

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