Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-01-25


and set to work improving the roads,
Grades were built up, low and wet
places were drained and hundreds of
coaG drags were set to work.
II required but short time to per-
feet the chain of workers, farmers
living along the road agreeing to drag
the highway after every rain and re-
scelve in compensation the sum of so
cents per mile travelled by the drag.
the amount allowed by the state IN
der the state drag law. In the state
organization every county along the
route has a member of the executive
committee.
The road once started, the move
ment spread all over the state. Farm
ers saw the benefit Of dragging roads.
AS a result, Iowa today has the best
roads ever known in the history of
the state.
Towns and cities readily realized
the value Of the road to the mer-
chants along the route of the river-to-
river road. Instead of one, there are
now three great automobile routes in
Iowa.
The read has rapidly developed. The
dragging force is well organized.
It is not farmers alone who do drag
ging. Many of the automobile en-
thusiasts along the route fasten drags
behind their machines and help drag
the road.
1t has had another effect. Farmers
are buying automobiles because they
can get to town and back over smooth
roads in an hour, whereas before they
had to consume a whole day.
AS help TO travellers the river-to-
river organization decided to mark the
route from river to river in a single
hour just as it had beer dragged. So
on given morning at u 3ertain hour
the organization in each coenty start
ed out with automobiles, paint buck
cts and brushes and painted foot
wide white band around every tele.
phone post along the route.
The band is painted about eight feet
from the ground, so that it cannot be
obscured by weeds or growing crops
! oA kAc%S udy tACAO "SAO Ai4OA SoR4It3A'
lists welding paint brushes in Iowa
than probably ever joined similar
brigade In the whole world at one
time.
The route is one especially interest
ing to tourists. In Davenport one d
able to visit the government arsenal
Iowa City is the original capital city
Of the state, and there is located the
old state capitol, now used as one al
the buildings for the great Iowa uni
versity, which is located there.
The route passes through Amana
the only successful purely communis
tic society in America. This is I
unique village OF Germans who dres.
in the costume of the seventeenth
century, live in implanted houses ant
have many old customs. It is a ric1
community, and here are manufac
tured the famous Amana Blue Prin
calicoes.
At Grinnell is located Grinnell col
lege, Congregational institution.
Colfax is famous mineral spring.
to which sufferers from rheumatism
from all over the world come. It nov
has one of the finest summer hotels
III America.
At Mitchellville is located the low.
State Girls Industrial school.
Des Moines is the state capital
where is located the capitol, tn
state historical building, Drake uni
versity, Des Moines college, Highlans
Park college, United States army post
etc.
At Council Bluffs are the high bluff
from which the city derives its name
In these bluffs are the deep trail
made in former years by buffaloes. I
is located on the Missouri river, jus
across from Omaha.