Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-08-17
LA PLATA COUNTY
ROADS IN GOOD SHAPE

view the road situation in La Plata
plished by the present board of coun-
ty commissioners. This will be found
o. special interest in view of the fact
that the present board was elected
on a good-roads campaign. A Herald
man obtained the following informa
,ion yesterday from Commissioners
Logan and Charlton:
When the present board went into
office they found no culverts in the
| county. In the place OF culverts were
only little boxes. altogether made
quste for draining the roads in time
of rains or fast melting SHOWS. The
first step toward improvement was to
order the road overseers to tear all
these boxes out and replace them
with culverts, which would carry of
| the water from the heaviest rains,
and they were put in with view to
permanency. The culverts were made
large and substantial, and they will
last for years to come. This does
away with the trouble and expense OF
putting in boxes every year. The
boxes did not protect the roads and
the culverts will
The board found the roads of the
county In very bad shape. They prac-
tically had TO construct about 700
miles of road-repair would not Ue
the proper term-for the roads had to
he made over. This 700 miles en-
braced seven districts, in the smallest
largest 200.
In addition to this nearly every man
who need it has had his road fixed,
where it was needed and where II
could be done.
The board bought a road grading
machine, which mas made possible the
accomplishment OF a great amount OF
work at less expense than could be
done by hand. This machine cost
$225, and with four teams and three
men as much can be accomplished
with it as can be done with 100 mer
by hand.
All the road work done, with the ex
ception of the road to La Posta. has
been done with the view of perman
ency. The road to La Posta is con
sidered temporary because it will be
! abandoned in the near future.
+ Where roads have been rebuilt the!
have been plowed up at the sides anC
the dirt piled up in the middle 80 the
water will run on at either side, anc
not stand in the roads. This is new
departure in road building in this
county. Next year 1t is intended tt
t plow other burroughs at the sides o
I many OF the roads and pile the dir
4 up higher, as 1t will have been beater
: down to level in many places.
D AS everyone knows, the last sprini
5 was the worst this section has hat
as to high water at any time since
the county had any roads worth men
r tioning. The high water created OBJ
l. stacles met in this section only onc'
j in 20 years. And yet only one bridge
[ the Wallace-went out. Othe
0 bridges were saved by weighting then
q down, strengthening abuttments
fastening them with cables and b.
having watchmen stationed to keel
y them free from driftwood
|. The commissioners have given tn,
e roads of La Plata county their person
n al supervision. They have not trust
y ed to someone else to attend to th'
< work. They have put in a great dea
: of overtime which was not included
r In the pay they received. They hav'
/. used their own teams without charg,
o to the county on many occasions
that they took deep interest in tn,
work delegated to them by the voter
y of the county.
/. The appropriations for the year TO
a roads amounted to $l0,50O. Abou
$500 of this has been used alread.
q emergencies. There is about $500 o
a this that was spent in strengthenini
# abuttments and paid to bridge watch
o men, and then bridge on Florid;
g mesa that was broken In two by MI
+ Scrivener driving herd Of cattl,
oNcT IL WAC HAUL ut ComluiSslOn
ers say they have no recourse for tn,
S damage done to this bridge, for tn,
e laws of the state do not provide fo
a cases OF that kind.
/ In addition to the roads built ant
3 the roads repaired about 100 miles o.
Z new road have been laid out which
the people who will travel such roads
: have promised to construct at theil
t own expense. The commissioners
h had the county surveyor lay out the
+ roads and the actual construction will
D be done by those wnom the roads
e benefit, without any additional cost
t to the county.
e The sum and substance of the whole
, thing Is that the county roads are
, now in such condition that the farm
, ers can get into town. They can
/ start from their ranches with heavy
loads and be sure they will get to
} market with them. Travel has been