Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-23
and the river to river road is the re-

and the river to river road is the re-
suit.
The Council Bluffs correspondent
of the Pittsburg. Pa, Gazette Times,
supplies a graphic description OF the
making of the river-to-river dragged
road across Iowa. "A great piece
Of road building was completed In
Iowa last week." he says, when i'll
the short space Of one single hour a
line of road $50 miles In length and
stretching entirely across the state
of Iowa was put in the most perfect
condition of any road west OF tho
Mississippi river. Weeks and months
were spent in preparation for the
work, but not q pick or shovel was
used until the designated second was
licked off. Then as if by magic 10000
workmen swarmed out onto the road
way, and when they ceased work sixty
minutes later Iowa had one OF the
finest long distance roads In the en-
tire west.
"And not the least interesting thing
in connection with the tremendous
piece of work is the fact that not a
man Of the entire 10000 engaged on
the work received one cent of wages.
Good will and patriotism alone are
responsible for the splendid showing.
Last winter the Iowa roads be-
came so fearfully bad that traffic was
practically killed and. farmers were
compelled simply to remain In their
homes. Finally the matter became
political question, and both parties got
behind the movement. Governor Car
roll called a good roads meeting at
Des Moines early last March, and out
of this meeting was evolved the plan
of river to river road stretching
from Council Bluffs on the Missouri
river to Davenport on the Mississippi,
a distance Of $50 miles straight across
the state from west to east.
"'Make the river to. river road as
near perfect as is possible to make
just common dirt was the sense OF
the good roads convention. Instead
of appointing new committees to
handle the work the regular repub-
lican and democratic committees in
each county through which the road
would pass were appealed to. The
chairman of the committees of each
party were asked to get in the game
and work for the road. Everybody
agreed to do so, and soon rivalry
was created between republicans and
democrats, each to see which party
would have the most workmen on the
Job when the time for work arrived.
last Saturday was selected as the
day, and from o'clock to 10 o'clock
the hour of work. Every farmer
along the way was personally seen
by the committees, and practically
every man agreed to give the one hour
that was asked for. Farmers were
asked to bring their plows. scrapers
and road drags, and an organization
equal to those employed in profess
sional railroad building was worked
out.
"In the weeks preceding the work
all bridges and culverts along the
road were repaired and put In first
class order that no delay might come
to the road builders when once the
latter started working.
The result Of the organization was
shown last Saturday. Shortly before
9 o'clock in the morning farmers be-
gan getting out in the road. Hun
dreds and thousands of plows, picks,
shovels, scrapers, road drags, grading
machines and other implements were
brought along. Every farmer brought
his team with him. Superintendent
and overseers had been appointed in
readiness when promptly at 9 o'clock
the order was issued to fall In
"And 10000 determined men fell to.
For an hour they continued, working
with might and main. At 10 o'clock
the Job was finished and the farmers
went back to their fields, leaving Iowa
the possessor OF the finest piece OF
long distance roadway in the west"