The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-12-08

by the porous soil and a muddy ROAD
is almost unknown in the southern
part of the state. 1t is readily per-
ceived that with materials of this
kind to work with, the finest roads
could be constructed at comparative
ly small expense and the cost for
maintenance would be next to moth
ing.
Realizing the actual road condi-
lions, the traveller next wonders why
the state itself and the counties
through which the road passes do not
awake to the advantages OF fine
transcontinental highway and put
the thoroughfares in the best posi-
BILE condition. It is the object of
this paper to answer that question
and the writer believes that the ques-
ton is best handled by the concrete
furnished by his own
county (Albany).
Albany county is one OF the south
ern tier Of Wyoming counties. 1t
is traversed by the transcontinental
highway in two directions. The route
from Sidney, Nebraska, touches
Cheyenne and comes on to Laramie
by way of Sherman hill. II the auto
list wishes to visit Denver he again
passes through this county by the
Denver-Fort Collins route. The two
roads come together near Laramie at
Tie Siding, and from that place to
Rawlins and beyond the routes are
identical The legitimate control
points leaving Sidney are Laramie,
Rawlins, Rock Springs and Evanston.
Leaving Denver, the central points
are Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs
and Evanston. The road branches at
Rock Springs, the northern branch
going to Yellowstone park.
The roads in Albany county are per
haps the best encountered on the trip
across the continent. The trip from
Denver by way of Fort Collins, 13I
miles, is easily made in six or seven
hours, and the trip from Sidney by
way of Cheyenne can be made in less
than eight hours, while the Albany
county stretch of road from Tie Sid
ing to the Carbon county line, near
ly one hundred miles, was declared
by the secretary of the Coast to
Coast auto party to be the best en-
countered on the entire transconti-
mental trip.
Notwithstanding the Importance of
the roads in this county to the trans
continental traveller, the road appears
through almost the entire length to
be pair of parallel route a few
inches below the leve. of the sur
rounding country. 1t is free from
rocks, however, and mud is never
present. After traversing few miles
the traveller realizes that he is on h
fine a road as he ever traversed in
his life and wonders why it is not
boulevarded by the county.
Albany county alone has more than
115 miles of transcontinental high
way. The county roads comprise $50
linear miles and there are perhaps
$50 additional miles of private roads
that petition the county almost year.
ly to be made part of the county
highways. Many of these county
roads reach farming communities
tributary to the city of Laramie. and
these roads traverse the county in the
main at RICH angles from the rail-
road lines. On the other hand, the
transcontinental route parallels the
Union Pacific railway it's entire
! myth and when any great distance
is to be travelled, the residents along
the route find it more convenient to
do their marketing by rail. Conse-
quent,y the board of county commits
sioners, while realizing the necessity
of good road across tn continent,
cater to the communities at dis
lance from the railroad and there
are not enough funds available for
both.
The county of Albany has popu-
lation of 1880. The fund availa-
BILE for road purposes is $4,000 year.
ly. That amount will not begin to
cover the $50 miles of county road.
Nor can the cities a'ong the route
afford to keep the road In good con-
dition. The combined population of
the control points mentioned above is
less than $4,000 and they constitute
the only cities along the highway.
Leaving Cheyenne, it is fifty-eight
miles to Laramie. One hundred and
thirty-five miles must be covered af-
ter leaving Laramie until Rawlins lis
rnQ phod Lilo Hfcfo "a