Photo of Mr. Willis G. Haskell, The History Center clipping files, 1908.
This small triangular park along the old Lincoln Highway route is named for Willis “Billy” Haskell. Haskell was described as one of the “most colorful figures to ever grace public life in Cedar Rapids.” He and his family operated a successful retail and wholesale coal company in this city for many decades. Haskell was later a high profile Iowa state legislator. He was known for owning one of the very first automobiles in this area and was a tireless promotor of the early 20th Century “Good Roads” movement. Haskell is credited with ensuring that the Lincoln Highway be routed through Cedar Rapids thus connecting the community to the famous New York to California roadway.
Mark W. Stoffer Hunter, Research Historian, The History Center
