The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-01-23
IMPROVED ROADS
Successful Convention at st.
Paul This Week.
City Engineer Thompson and Geo. NJ.
Palmer Return, Feeling Encouraged
Movement Spreading.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays DAILY.
City Engineer Thompson and Geo. NJ.
Palmer returned last evening from st.
Paul, where they attended the good roads
convention. The latter went as dele
gate from the board of trade and will
submit his report to that organization
Monday morning, together with some i'm
portant Recommendations.
Both gentlemen are pleased with the
spirit shown at the convention, which
was attended by a number of senators
and representatives, including Senator
Eberhart of this city, who is taking an
interest in the movement.
The most important subject considered
was state aid to road building, which was
generally considered as being step in
the right direction. The present way of
distributing funds for road Improvement
was looked upon as being folly. The
idea was advanced that the separate
counties should be organized in the good
roads movement.
Mr.. Palmer believes that the improve
ment of the roads leading through the
country is the most important question
today confronting the farmers and mer-
chants and other business men in the
towns and villages. If the roads leading
| into Mankato were all grayeled for a
distance of six or eight miles out it
would be the greatest improYen ent that
could be made. A bad road can be turn
ed into fine one by grading, draining
and crawling at an expense OF Sl,Ooo
mile. The right kind of gravel should be
used, and proper drainage is one OF the
most important factors.
While a macadam road is the best,
when properly laid, it is not being con-
sidered great deal on account of the
expense There are places where a mac
adam road is the only kind that Will
| fill the bill, but on most country roads
gravel makes splendid road bed. 1t
should be neither river gravel nor bank
graveled that has too much clay in it, as
the soil has sufficient clay to mix with
the gravel in short time through travel.
Mr.. Palmer believes that if bed OF
desirable gravel could be located it would
pay the city to buy it and give it to the
farmers for the hauling. He believes
| that many farmers who come to the city
in winter with loads would be willing to
haul gravel back, in order to aid in i'm
proving the roads at little expense
The good roads convention favored the
bill that is before congress to appropriate
$50 100000 to aid in good roads. This
would allot about $4,000 to Blue Earth
county, but several times that amount
would have to be expended in order to
obtain this aid Perhaps thirty to forty
miles of road could be improved. The
convention also favored the plan to have
a state commission composed of three
competent men to have seharge of the
state aid.
Mr.. Palmer is more than pleased with
the way the South Bend road has been
improved the past summer. The town
ship appropriated $500 toward the work,
and the county the balance. This is the
third improvement on that road, and only
one sandy gap now remains, which will
probably be taken care of later.
While the Eagle Lake and other roads
need improving badly, Mr.. Palmer be
lieves that there is more need of improv-
ing the Pohl road to the Moonshank hill
and the Tivoli road, as the travel over
those roads by farmers is much greater,
the whole southeastern part of the coun-
ty coming in that way.
As samples of what gravel does for
roads, Mr. Palemr'points to the Glenwood
cemetery, road, the valley road to st.
Peter, and the upper road to st. Peter on
the Nicollet county side of the river.
These were all very bad roads, impassi-
BILE in bad weather, until graveled, and
they are now the best roads.
The present county board is believed
to be favorable to the good roads move
ment, and willing to cooperate to this end
to such an extent as it is able.
There has been growing sentiment
among farmers lately in favor of i'm
proving the roads, whereas formerly
there was only suspicion and doubt ex-
pressed, when the subject was preached.
|
As time goes on and the community gets
educated up to the need of better roads,
sentiment will change more rapidly, as it
has done in the eastern and central
states.