The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-03-05
DOING A GOOD WORK
HIGHWAY BETTERMENT UNDER
DIRECTION OF FARMERS.
Those in the Vicinity of Madison Lake
Are Performing Labor for Which
They Will Be Repaid Many Fold;
Intelligent Supervision and Best
Results Can Be Obtained.

Madison Lake, Feb, 26.--1he good
roads spirit is abroad i'll Madison Lake
village There was raised by August
Bornecke over $50 in and about the
village for application OH the Eagle
Lake road at and south and west of
his place. Already there are over 200
loads hauled on that section, nearly
half of it donated by the farmers.
They nave enough funds now sub
scribed additional to raise the hotel to
possibly $50 loads, which rate would
use up about 2,lO0 loads east of the
stone turnpike ending near the old
Diamond place and south of the bea-
| yer dam on Madison Lake.
Intelligent Work By Supervision.
From this point-Lamm's and Hob
mans cottages-to Madison Lake village
, there will be no need for any of this
work because the whole roadway is
| solid gravel, and all it needs or will
need is intelligent work by the road
supervision of LIE Ray township, and
| that it will get. From August Beer
necke's place to the Lamm and Holman
cottages, a distance of something like
a mile and half. there will have to
be a good deal of work done, which is
not yet provided for This is road
Immediately tributary to Madison Lake
and the good folks here will no doubt
. help as freely on it as they have
already agreed to do on the next
section beyond it.
Granting Rights of Way.
There is or was, Il bill before the
legislature providing for the granting
of rights of way by county commits
sioners to trolley lines, ctc.-lt might
be good thing to look into this bill
a little, more especially as effecting
those roads upon which the state, coun-
| ty, and the commercial clubs are spend
i ing SO much money. 1t certainly is
not unreasonable that the county com
missioners-or somebody else should be
| authorized to grant such rights of way,
however, under proper restrictions.
Credit to Commercial Club
The Mankato Commercial club dc
serves great credit for the tremendous
public interest which their labors have
worked up ! in the country districts,
Everybody is talking good roads -
There is growing up spirit of good
roads rivalry. The farmers out this
way between Eagle Lake and Madi-
son Lake on what will no doubt be
| Il part of the great MankatO- Twin City
Automobile route, seem determined to
frame up driveway which will do
credit to this end of the route. This
route starting at either Minneapolis or
ST. Paul runs through Pennington,
Nortnield. Faribault Morristown, Wat
ervillc, Elysian,. Madison Lake and
Eagle Lake to Mankato. There would
have been, the writer is informed, an
immense automobile travel from the
cities over this route during the past
year or two had it not been for the
repeated spells of 'impassibiity' in
which the roads, owing to their black
muck texture INDUCED, but with the
present spirit of road improvement all
along the route, this promises to speed
| lily become one of the finest, if not the
finest i'll the state. This black soil
properly mixed with gravel makes the
hardest, smoothest and the cleanest
dirt road possible in this state.
Route Is Scenically Perfect
The route is scenically perfect. Com
paratively level roads lead by dozens
of beautiful lakes and among highly
cultivate farms through native forests
and broad pastures. There is no
scarcity of good water. Many villages
offer all needed supplies and frequent
shade trees invite to roadside rest and
refreshments.
These farmers who are working in
the good roads movement will be richly
repaid. They are building up great
highway, They will all be running
automobiles OH these roads themselves
in five Years if they live so lOnU