The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-09-07
SOME GOOD
ROADS GOSPEL
HOW ONE DWINDLING COMafU.
NIFTY BECAME A PROGRESS
sIvE CITY.

How can q community develop ita
local resources and revive tts dyine
business interests without . huge in.
dividual cost?
There are many ways that this
problem can be worked out. At the
present time the railroads have
come to see what tremendous bear
ing good roads have upon the gen.
eral prosperity Of the country, and
they have inaugurated what are
known as gospel trains"
BY far the most important Of thes
is the Good Roads Special" a
train of private cars that visits the
stations along the various railroad
lines and carries the gospel Of good
road building. Expert road builders
accompany this train, and free lect-
ures are given to the townspeople
and farmers at each stop. Practical
illustrations Of how road building
may be done inexpensively are fea-
lures of each program, and the lect-
ures are all to the point.
There is a town that has gradually
dwindled into comparative obscurity.
The merchants have been losing bus
mess and they are Disguised. The
Gown Is surrounded by roads In such
poor condition that motorists shun
the place. The people in the town
and out on the farm are doing their
purchasing by mail. Conditions must
be remedied. No one wishes to as
sumo heavier taxes. All want better
roads. however. How may this be
accomplished? Here is how the
town managed to improve it, roads
and rebuild its broken business en-
terprises
A good roads club was organized
by one OF the progressive citizens,
and almost Immediately the idea
found popularity among the majority
Of the Inhabitants Of the community
Local merchants showed an eager
ness to cooperate, even in q sub
way, and In a short time an
expert FoAdmaker was called in to
on the subject. The active
good roads movement dated from
that moment.
Every farther and villxger was no
titled that he had been delegated to
take care of the road adjacent to
and abutting upon his own property
Every farmer in the locality receive
the same notice. No one had ever
thought of doing this work himself.
All the road building energies Of
the community had heretofore been
devoted to berating the road COM
missioner. Instantly a sort of in
dividual pride sprang up in the
hearts of the people. Heaps Of
rough stone disappeared over night.
and the small boys were gathered
into a club of their own and spent
much of their spare time under the
direction of an older person cleaning
up the sides Of the roads and cut
ting away the weeds. A general
cleaning day was set aside in which
every man. boy and woman turned
out to improve the looks and the
conditions Of the roads in the town.
That is what happened in the town.
But in the adjacent country bigger
movement was on foot.
Farmers who had waited patiently
for the road gang to repair the
roads now strolled out Of their barn
yards and wondered how they might
best do the work themselves. They
asked the good roads club about 1t.
and in return they received litera-
ture telling how to construct the
simple. yet famous King split-loe
drag. 1t was an easy matter after
that. Every farmer in the locality
spent his time scraping the rough
road around his land. filling in hole
with mud. disposing of huge stones
that Uttered the roadway. and II
dragging out the ruts. The spirit
OF rivalry entered into this, and later
the good roads club offered prizes
for the best sections of good roads.
Polished country roads. like boule-
wards. were the result. The young
people ON the farms came oftener to
town and felt more satisfied. The
rural mail delivery man began 70
whistle on his route. and the store
keepers Frightened up perceptibly. It
wasn't long before the automobiles
began coming through. and the mon