The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-10-12
THE I.O.A SHORT ROUTE
Sixty-eight Miles Shorter Between
Davenport and Council Bluffs.

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from the cross state automobile
route between Davenport and Coun
Gil Bluffs in the establishment of a
new direct line, or short route" from
Davenport west to Council Bluffs.
The new route is as near direct
east and west line as is possible to
make it and is the shortest route
across the state that has yet been
laid out. established and marked,
Its popularity is assured from the
beginning.
Permanent organization of the
I-O-A Short Route Association was
perfected Monday, October 9, when
representatives from all the larger
towns on the route were assembled
in Oskaloosa for the purpose of TAX
ing up the business incident to the
establishment of the route. Off
GERS We're chosen as follows
President, Chas. S. Walling, Oska-
loosa.
Secretary and treasurer, w. R. La,
cey, Oskaloosa.
Each town along the route is to
have a vice-president, whose names
will be announced later.
Special marking of the poles or
posts along the route will be done
Immediately. The sign of the 10
A Short Route" will be a two-foot
band of alternate red and white
stripes. This marking is to be start
ed Immediately, each county caring
for its part of the work. Roads are
to be worked to what extent is pos
sible this fall and work resumed
early in the spring to make this road
the best cross state route in exist
ence.
One hundred and twenty miles OF
the route are already marked from
miles east of Winterset.
The Route.
Starting from Council Bluffs the
route goes almost due east through
| Pottawattamie county, touching
Carson and on to Griswold, Cumber.
land and Massena, in Cass county
cutting across south of Atlantic
Bridgewater is the first town in
Adair county, then comes Fontapelle
and Greenfield. Winterset, Patter,
son and Bevington mark the route
through Madison county and the
poles are all painted to a point four
miles east of Bevington, or into War
rem county. Indianola gets the route
through Warren county and from
Knoxville in Marion county the Short
Route gets to Des Moines river via
Tracy, crossing the Bellefountaine
bridge, then by the old Knoxville
state road into Oskaloosa ant
through Rose Hill into Keokuk coun
ty via Delta. Sigourney and Keota
Washington in Washington county Is
the next station and the route ther
cuts the northwest corner of Louisa
county and passes into Muscatine
and along the river to Davenport.
In addition to the marking the
route by the red and white striped
poles and posts, metal signs are tC
be used and danger points clearly
outlined by the proper signs. ROAD
work is to be cared for by the vice
presidents along the route and will
be started Immediately and reported
along the route from time to time
Distance signs from towns will also
be displayed.
The meeting of the county repre-
sentatives of the new I-OA Shor
Route, which occurred in Oskalooss
at the Hotel Lacey Monday after
noon, was the largest and most en-
thusiastic meeting of auto car own
ers ever brought together in this
part of the state. Following an ex
cellent dinner at the hotel, the en-
tertainment of the Oskaloo5a bust
ness and the Mahaska County Auto
Club, the business of the session wa;
taken up without delay. President
Charles S. Walling, of the Mahaska
Auto Club, told of the object of the
meeting and outlined the work to he
done. Committees were then ap
1 pOihlSu lOI TIC vi INK
work and the several questions con
corning organization, name, route
marking and signs were taken up in
order and disposed Of
PeIIa Loses Out.
Pella desired to be included on the
route, that is, to have the road deyi
ate from the straight east and west
course, turning north and east at a
point about four miles east of Knox
vile and running in a northwest
direction, crossing the Des Moines
river near the village of Howell, go to
Pella, thence southeast to Oskaloosa
The committee on route voted on
the direct east and west route, with
river crossing at Belle Fountaine
near Tracy. Pella delegates were
much disappointed in not securing
location of the route through their
town, but they took their defeat
| UftL SDlapdid orana and uant or urit n