The Marshall republican., 1911-07-20
The Cross-State
Public Highway
Daughters of the American
Revolution Boost Gen.
trail Route.

s.ia.l and Saline. II has many
POINTS In it's favor-6t is the short
es: roube. mas least grades, has
mos. state institutions, has his
toric interest. On the last named
reason the Daughters of the Amer
lean Revolution are doing effective
work for the central route. A cir
cular recently issued gave aspen
did map of the route and contain
ed the following interesting ac-
count:
"The Boon's Lick Road and the
Santa Fe Trail, connecting at Old
Franklin, In Howard County. form
ed the cross State highway in Mis-
souri, a century aga, In 1912, the
year Missouri became a territory.
After the advent OF the railroads,
the Missouri river AMI the Ms
souri, cross State highway fell into
disuse, but 1912 may see both re-
stored again to public service.
"a cross State highway IL pro-
posed and three routes are sug-
gested. The Northern, the Cen
trail and the Southern routes. The
Central route, practically, IL the
old Santa Pc Trail and Boon's Lick
Road; II IL the shortest route; II
IL a practical route Il passes thru
the rich agricultural counties OF
Jackson, Lafayette. Saline, How
ard. Boone, Galloway, Montgom-
cry, Warren, st. Charles and st.
Louis; u crosses the river at Ar
row Rock, where the st. Louis-Kan
sas City Electric line proposes to
build a bridge. With the above
natural advantages over the other
two routes, II also has the historic
and patriotic interest.
"The Missouri Legislature appro-
priated $4,000 to mdrk the Santa Fee
trail In Missouri. The Santa Fe
Trail Committee, Daughters OF the
American Revolution, prepared the
bill, and Its members were named
by the Legislature u carry out
the provisions OF the bill. This
Committee has set two rough, Mis-
souri, granite boulders, one at Lex
ington and the other at Arrow
Rock, and the rest will be set, prob
ably this summer.
"The Santa Fe Trail Committee
IL now urging thas the Santa Fe
Trail and ths Boon's Lick Road be
adopted n the new cross State
highway. To this end all loyal
Missourians are urged 10 cooper
ate with this committee by agitat-
ing this subject. by emphasizing in
public speech, In private talk, and
by the press, the practical and the
historic value OF the Central route,
which Is the Santa Fe Trail and
the Boon's Lick Road. ..
The old trails, stamped out by
Natures engineers-the buffalo and
the Indtan-were considered the
best natural route across the state
by the pioneer Missourians; path
finders In q primeval forest seek
the r~idge-road, the direct road and
the safest river fords. Such were
the old Boon's Lick Road and the
Santa Fee Trail, along which the
star OF empire blazei its western
course
The Boon's Lick Road led from
st. Louis, westward $50 miles to
Old Franklin; II turned imm.gra-
ton to central Missouri and Il
brought Missouri into the Union
ss a state. II was the father of
the Santa Fe Trail. In 1904, two
sons OF Daniel Boone, Daniel Nor
gan Boone and Nathan Boone,
made salt at the famous salt lick
In the wilderness OF central Mis-
souri, hey floated the salt in hoi-
low logs, down the Missouri River :
to st. Louis; this traffic, in two ,
years, made a settlement at Boon's
Lick and shortly afterward, Old .
Franklin, twelve miles away, was
ALTO founded the necessity for a
highway between Old Franklin and !
st. Louis resulted In the Boon's :
Lick Road.
The Santa Fe Trail led from Old
Franklin westward to Santa Fe ,
about 900 miies away; what Boons ,
Lick Road had been to central Mis- !
souri,, the Santa Fe Trail was to
western Missouri and all that ter 8
ritory. indisttnctly known as the
sFar West" VIM Becknell, start
Ing from Old Franklin, made the
first successful overland trade ex-
petition to Santa Fes he used pack
mules. Calico bought in Missouri
Cor . few cents, sold In Santa Fe
for several gold dollars. The re- !