Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-03-11

HOW A KANSAS TOWN HAS BEEN I'M
PROVED AND BUILT UP.
Transformed by Its Public Spirited
CitiAens During the Past Ten Years.
Now Town of Good Streets and
Fine Residcnces.

CitiHens During the Past Ten Years
Fine Hesidcnccs.
In lSSS Lawrence, Kan, was town
If nearly 10000 and without II public
sewer. says the Kansas city Star In
Tie early years the people had been too
busy saving the town from destruction
to think of sewer building. In the next
period there was too much business to
cpueiGc( anything else, and after that
tn" aloom of departing commerce was
too thick 70 permit suggestion OF
spending money for Improvements un-
der @r"und. The town had existed thir-
ty years, and why should there be any
greater need of service now than be-
forri
ful somebody dared. and the result
WAS Il sewage system. That may have
been the turning point, but Lawrence
d.tn't realize ii. one bright day of Il
spring about eight or ten years ago
l.. T.. Ripley and Paul Morton stopped
at Lawrence to see the University of
Kansas.
"What's the matter with LawrenccW
Mr., Ripley said to Mr. Morton.
zone thing that's holding the town
back is the mud streets. That's the
drawback that strikes me-" said Nor
ton.
There were Lawrence men In the
little group, and Il few days later
street paving agitation arose that made
the old settlers think of free state
conventions. The Santa Fe also heard
of it, Clay that would make vitrtied
brick of the best quality had been
found. and Lawrence decided to make
its own brick. Some men with both
money and public spirit reminded Mr..
Ripley of what was holding Lawrence
back, and the Santa Fe carried all the
machinery for brick plant at
freight rate that added nothing to the
roads earnings The men with the
money raised some $4,000, and the
mud streets of Lawrence began to take
on a cover of brick, smooth and hard.
OF course there were objections and
remonstran' IS, and to some of the
Lawrence had decided to move ahead
and there was no stopping 1t.
The result was not doubtful. The
change is 50 great that the man who
has been away from Lawrence ten
years finds n made over town when
he returns. There are towns In Kan
SaS that have built more business
structures than Lawrence In the last
SIN or eight years, but 1t Is doubtful
If any has made so marked n physical
Change as the university town. TO all
outward appearances 1t is Il new Law
renee
All OF the streets of Lawrence are
wide, and III the residence districts the
people have demonstrated problem
that should he of value to any city or
town. In the early ninctIcS the rcsidenc"
streets We're grass and weed grown.
except for the irregular wagon road
along the middle. There was nothing
to indicate the curb lines; the side
walks were absent or approaching the
impossible. Wooden fences marked
the lot lines The only rcdccming
feature was the fine old trees planted
in rows many years before. When
paving was suggested there We're most
violent protests; the great width of the
streets made paving impossible, they
said.
Here the boosters showed them
trick that is too often overlooked In
the paving OF residence streets The
brick paving was limited to thirty feet
in some cases even twenty yfive-and
then came parking to the sidewalks.
Now the residence street in Lawrence
is Il roadway narrow enough to have
been paved ut small cost, and on either
sid" is n lawn shaded by fine old trees
There are no prettier home streets IN
any town than those recently improved
in Lawrence.
Another feature that other towns
might with good grace adopt from
Lawrence: \ large part OF the town Is
buildcd on n hillside 80 steep that the
houses on one side OF the road stand
twenty feet or more above the grade
of those on the other. The first thought
would be to establish grade for street
and sidewalk and make the property
owners cut or fill to come to 1t. Law
rene" has done better, and that with
less cost. The houses on the upper
side keep their grade, and the sidewalk
in front nf them Is laid on n terrace
that rises from the curbing; another
terrace rises in the lot itself The ef-
feet is most pleasing and unusual.