Frances McEwen Belford (born Frances C. McEwen; January 13, 1839 — January 27, 1921) was an American activist based in Denver, Colorado, known as the "Mother of the Lincoln Highway" for her leadership in creating the coast-to-coast interstate highway named for Abraham Lincoln.

[2][3] She addressed women's clubs and she lobbied lawmakers, asking "And what could be finer evidence of national loyalty than a wide, fair highway, traced through the heart of the land, built, maintained, guarded, beautified by the people of the states traversed by it?

"[1] Belford was the first woman to serve on Colorado's State Board of Charities, Corrections, and Pardons.

Her husband was a Congressman and her neighbor was Sarah Platt-Decker, president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which gave her access to national audiences for her ideas.

They had eight children, including a daughter, Frances Belford Wayne, who became a noted journalist in Denver.