The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-18
HEARING ON BRIDGE BEFORE THE
COUNTY BOARD; MANY TAKE PART
Red Jacket and Jones Ford Road Propositions Presented
Highly Intelligent and interesting Manner BY Both Sides;
Farmers State Their Case

The hearing before the county board
/ yesterday afternoon on the proposition
| to move the bridge across the Blue
Earth river near Rapdan to the Red
Jacket crossing of the LeSueur river
was highly interesting. Forty or fifty
farmers who were interested in this
project in having the bridge used as
an overhead crossing OH the Jones
ford road where the Milwaukee road
crosses the highway were present, and
10th sides presented their arguments
A committee of the Mankato CONNER
cial club was also present and spoke
Among the farmers who appeared
were some exceptionally good speakers
and it is doubtful if as bright set
of young men could be gathered to-
gether to represent any other farming
community of the state of the same
area OF even greater. The debate was
highly good natured. but the chrusts
were bright and sharp, and the meet
ing was interesting to all OF the lis
teners.
By putting bridge over the Red
Jacket ford, nearly direct road to
Good Thunder would be made, saving a
half mile or more over the nearest
present road. By putting the over
head crossing in on the Jones ford
road TO Rapidan, the only bad place on
that road would be taken out. This
road is just rs short to Rapidan as
the Red Jacket road.
John Nyquist offered an excellent
suggestion after the meeting, and that
was that whichever improvement is
made it be based OH an agreement
the the farmers shall gravel the road
from the top of the hill to Rapidan or
Good Thunder. whichever road is in.
proved, and make u fine road, passable
at all times.
Debate Is Opened.
George Yacger acted rs floor leader
Of the residents in favor of locating
a bridge at Red Jacket and spoke first,
showing the advantages from his point
of view of the location and site. He
mentioned the fact that a petition was
presented to the board i'll 1892 for the
location of the bridge at this point aud
that there had been various petitions
from that time until the present. He
stated that there was Il good road
from Mankato to the site for this
bridge and that there was practically Il
good road from South Beud to Rapi-
dan and Good Thunder. Mr. Yaeger
then called on Mr.. Walker
Mr.. Walker emphasized Mr.. Yaeger's
remarks in favor of the Red Jacket
location and showed some of the dis
advantages OF the Kerns bridge and
the roads leading TO it. He stated
that the bridge was practically out of
commission so far as getting over that
road with any kind of load When
the roads are bad anywhere, they are
there, and are almost impossible. He
recommended vacating the Kerns bridge
site and locating it at Red Jecket,
where it would be accessible, and a
good road could be maintained the year
around.
Mr.. Yacecr stated that there was no
travel across the Kerns bridge when
the ford at Red Jacket was passable.
He called on Mr.. Pierson as to the
length of bridge that would be need
Cd, and Mr.. Pearson stated about $50
feet was his opinion of the length of
bridge required.
John Holberg then spoke in favor of
Red Jacket, saying that it was the
natural place for the bridge leading
south from Mankato and that a good
road could be maintained there the
year around leading to and from it.
One man spoke in favor of the Red
jacket location and said that they
could haul out as large load from
Mankato going out as they could haul
in over the road, and that it would
make practically level road both
ways. He was heartily in favor of To-
eating it at Red JACKET.
Dug Up County History.
Chris Johnson took up the history
of the Red Jacket bridge proposition
and stated that the locating of a bridge
here was ancient history. Going back
to 1928, he referred to the county
boards records, showing that of four
bridges to be located in the county one
was to be put in at Red Jacket. One
John Dooley was one of the county
commissioners, and he had the contract
for putting in the Red Jacket bridge.
From some cause or other some of the
neighbors gained the impression that
the piers that he put in for the new
bridge were not put in properly and
that Investigation showed that they
only went down about even with the
bed of the river. Some said that the
reason of this was quick sand or some
thing, that the piers could not be sunk
deeper, and others that it was Il cheap
lob of work Whatever the cause, a
Mr.. Pearson made so strong a COM
plant that the work on the bridge was
stopped, and Mr.. Dooley, being a
member of the board of commissioners,
was able to move the location from
the Red Jacket to the site of the
kerns bridge. Mr.. Johnson stated that
as consequence of the quarrel be-
tween Mr.. Dooley and MIR. Pearson
i