Vintage military convoy coming to area

A historic military vehicle convoy is coming to west-central Wisconsin on July 31.

The Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) is sponsoring this journey across the historic Yellowstone Trail Highway (YTH). About 90 MVPA members and support drivers will participate with 40 or more historic trucks.

The convoy is made up of privately-owned military vehicles that range in eras from World War II up to the Iraq War.

These vehicles include World War II Jeeps and Dodges; Korean War-era deuce-and-a-halfs, Dodges, and Jeeps; Vietnam era-Jeeps, Dodges and deuces; and an assortment of “Heavies” -- 5-ton and 10-ton Oshkosh and 4WD cargo haulers from the 1950s until current day.

The convoy is celebrating the Historic Yellowstone Trail National Highway (YTH) route that was created in the late 1900s and in use until the end of World War II. The entire route runs from Boston, Mass., to Portland, Ore., and of course to Yellowstone National Park for which it was named.

The 2021 convoy is retracing the YTH from Aberdeen, S.D., to Conneaut, Ohio, including a three day stop at the MVPA National Convention in South Bend, Ind. The convoy will take 25 days to complete.

The route of the convoy through western Wisconsin is primarily along old US 12 from Hudson to Eau Claire, and eastward from Chippewa Falls on County X. After spending the night in Hudson, the convoy will be passing through Roberts, Hammond, Baldwin, Woodville and stopping in Trapp for a morning break.

Leaving Trapp on July 31, the convoy will work its way along the Yellowstone Trail south to WI 29 and east into Menomonie. It will continue on US 12/WI 29 east and will skirt Eau Claire, stopping again at Lake Hallie for a break. From there, the convoy will visit the State Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls before proceeding east on County X to Cadott, Boyd, and Stanley. The convoy will have a lunch stop in Stanley at the Veterans Memorial Park, 101 S. Broadway. Lunch will be hosted by the Stanley Legion/VFW. The convoy will be part of a “Touch a Truck & More” and military uniforms and military face paint will be provided for photo opportunities.

The convoy will continue eastward through Thorp, Withee, Owen, and Curtis to Abbotsford, where it will encamp for the night before heading for Fond du Lac on Aug. 1. The convoy will stay the night at the East Town Mall in Abbotsford for another vehicle display, food trucks, and public viewings.

This is the seventh cross-country convoy sponsored by the MVPA. Other past cross-country convoys have included two Lincoln Highway crossings from Washington D.C. to San Francisco, the Bankhead Transcontinental Highway convoy from Virginia to San Diego, the famous Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, and two adventures up the Alaskan Highway.