Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-09
THE NATIONS PIKE.
a Great Thoroughfare for Cychs's'-A
wheelmnn's Trip.
written for the Leader.)


written for the Leader)
When Ohio was admitted as state
TO the Union it was almost completely
isolated from the outside world. The
little commerce it had was carried on
with the utmost difficulty. That by
way of the ST. Lawrence system had TO
be transported overland from Bufalo
through the Mohawk pass, or fioated
to the cold regions of the North At
lantic. That by way of the Mississippi
system could not find market nearer
than New Orleans. The only direct
means of transportation to the mark
cts of the eastern states was by way or
the passes of the Allegheny noun
tains. The roads leading to those
ports were but trails leading through
the virgin forest and of course, were
often impossible. 1t did not need
far-sighted observer to see the great
advantage. or furthermore the actual
necessity of first-class thoroughfare
from the Northwest territory to the
Atlantic coast. Railroads and steam
boats were, of course, unknown at that
time
In 1906 an appropriation was made
by Congress for a survey of road be-
ginning at Cumberland, Nd, and ex-
tending west through the Allegheny
mountains. There was already good
wagon road from Baltimore to Cum
berland. The road was finished to
Ohio in 1926 and finally extended to
the Mississippi in 1886. 1t was called
the National Road" and is one of the
grandest internal Improvements" ev-
er undertaken by the nation.
The advantage gained by it was
simply inestimable. While it was yet
building, a constant stream of emf
grant wagons was passing westward
over it to fill up the rich hills and
prairies cf the Northwest Territory.
Great wagons drawn by many horses
carried for the people necessaries from
the east and returned with the pro-
ducts of the new country. Gaily
painted stage coaches ran through the
tnore densely settled parts. Because
these historic associations, had for
a long time desired to travel over a
part of this old thoroughfare. Starting
awheel with a friend, we travelled over
the hills Of southeastern Ohio and fl
nally reached the National Road twen
ty miles east of Cambridge. A gray
stretch extending over the hills east
ward and westward, with row of tel
egraph poles on each side, told us we
were there. Small loose pieces of lime
stone made the pike rough in some
places.
We had not gone far when a storm
drove us to a neighboring shed for
shelter 1t was nearly dusk when the
storm cleared and we jumped on our
wheels for the town three miles away.
On dirt road we could not have gone
more than ten feet, but we were on
pike seventy-five years old. However,
we were not on brick pavement; there
is an accumulation of sand on the road
and sand and water will make slush
there as.well as any place.
Lower and lower sank the sun;
faster and faster spun our wheels;
thicker and thicker flew the slush un-
til we finally reached the Eagle
House" covered with sand, but ready
for a good nights sleep. The road
was almost dry by morning. so we
were soon again on our wheels.
The road sometimes for miles, is as
straight as rule, but hills, hills,
nothing but hills; not rough hills like
those of Washington county, they are
rounded, but still any hill is not nice
for bicycle. | have stood and count
ed five hills ahead, and looking back,
could see the tops of five that we had
passed over, all in a straight line.
However, the road at no place exceeds
certain grade We rode down one
grade east of st. Clairsvlle which is
one and a fourth miles long. (Would
like to see the fellow who can ride up
it,
Mammoth stone bridges span the
runs and creeks. The following is an
inscription from one of them
Built A. d. 1926
by James Lloyd and r. B. Wilson,
of Hagerstown, Md"
They are dead, but their bridge
stands.
The National Road is still toll