Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-15
A GREAT HIGHWAY.
THE National ROAD LAID OUT
NEARLY SEVENTY YEARS AGO,

NCHhIf SEVENTY YEARS R6O.
Interesting "Reminiscences in Connection
with the Once Popular Thoroughfare.
Historic Associations-Noted Passengers
Over the Road.
How few know anything of the national
road" 1t has been SO eclipsed by railways
that many well-informed people don't know
that such structure was ever built
Away back III 1918 there arose serious appro-
hension that the growth of the west would
cause disatfected politicians to want differ
ent capital-"a western union"-and during
Monroes administration congress, under the
advocacy of Henry Clay, Tom" Benton,
Gen Lewis Cas-, Thomas Ewing and Andrew
Stewart made appropriations from the
national treasury, and the work was vigor-
ously executed. Beginning at Cumberland
mountain, it extended across Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Ohio and Indiana westward. The
design was to connect the national capital
with St Louis.
The road bed was reduced to a grade of
five degrees, was made thirty-five feet wide,
and maeadamized The under part was
chiefly of stone, placed on edge, as is now
the case in cities, and covered with pieces
that would go through an inch and a half
ring. The national road was free to all. 1t
was maintained by the general government
for dozen years, but i'll 1880, through defer
ence to Gen. Jackson's idea of state sover-
eighty" it was turned over to the states
through which it was built.
A POPULAR THoRoUGHEARE.
Much interesting Renaissance might be
given of this great thoroughfare and its wars.
In 1887, when war was threatened between
this country and France, there was such
| suspicion of symp ithy between the French in
Louisiana and the enemy that a quick mail
route was established via this road, and the
| Mississippi river contracts were let with the
| requirement of speed to average ten miles per
hour The entire highway was laid off into
sections, three BOYS and nine horses being re-
| quired for sixty-three miles, and the time
given for the trip was six hours and eighteen
| minutes.
Whether legal or not, the national road
was popular thoroughfare. There WIS soon
| as high as $50 great Conestoga six-horse
teams per day. That is the same number as
| the railroad trains that pass over the Penn
svlvania railroad now daily to and from Jer-
scy CITY There were four or five four-horsc
mail and passenger coaches each way daily
Presidents frequented this highway, and
on such occasions men were poSted at hilltops
by the roadway to wave their red bandanas
aS Il signal of approach for the distinguished
travellers. The people would assemble and
| render both vocal and Instrumental music.
j
condition, and its many historic associations
are enhanced Ivy modern progress. While tho
old cast iron posts yet remain to tell of dis
tances To places, etc, telegraph wires are
abundant, and there is a combination of
things ancient and modern which give to
| travellers by the OLD road much of rare in
| terrSt
OF noted passengers over this road there are
recorded the names of james Monroe, An
drew Jackson, William Henry Harrison,
John Tyler, Dick johnson president
under TYLER. James X. Polk, Santa Anna
md the Marquis de Lafayette.
CHAT WITH Folks WIDOW
James X. Polk! How the namo stands out
IN the list To be assured about the stories
told on the subject called on the venerable
| Mrs Polk At my greeting she said she was
feeble, but had never in the several years il
bal been my fortune to know her appeared
quite so bright, so graceful and so elegant.
"Ah, yes; | have often been over the great
national road as it was called, and it revive:
r,anv pleasant "reminiscences. Friends used
to ask me if wero not fatgued in making
these trips. but I would tell them that il
those DAYS | knew not the sensation of being
In ~
stage coaches of that day. True, we dit
travel in public carriages, but gentlemen
could make arrangements to travel exclu
sivcly and would stop over at night Mr.
Polk was fourteen years successfully in con
grresS. and VIC often iourneyed that way; no
always. We went to Washington twice il
in oar private carriage, Our route would b
down the Cumberland to the Ohio, and u
that to Wheeling. and thence across by tn
national road to Cumberland. Nd. The car
ran from thence to Baltimore. When Mr.
Polk was elected president we went that wa,
and changed cars at the Relay house, tn
junction of that road and the one leadin
from Baltimore to Washington. There wa
n great crowd there and he made speech
What magnificent scenery on that thorough
fare across the Allegheny mountains! | ha
an experience on our journey that often CAV
amusement to our friends. Our team "a,
away, and we might have been much NOR
unfortunate, but one of our horses fell an
the driver checked the others. But the cal
riage was upset. DR. Linn, senator fror
Missouri, was especially attentive to me. MI
Polk and others had emerged from the cal
: riage, and DIR. Linn proposed to help me, an
4 l. IN, foot on his hand
did so, and he helped me gracefully in tina
way He was courtly gentleman '-Nasl
vile American.