Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-24
FRANK A NMOCKs, LEADER GOOD THIS
LOCALITY, ADDRESS BEFORE WISCONSIN MEN.
Detailed Of Organization
Great Benefit Reaped by Highway of
Gave Wisconsin Men Invaluable knowledge Work,

reached in these talks across the state
John P. Dods, of the Automobile Blu
Book of Chicago. and q suryeyin
party from the Iowa Publishing Co., Q
:. Des Moines, who are putting out
guide book Of the road, were over tn
road with the officers in July. Ever
foot Of this road has been measured VI
by these engineers to be mapped Il
J the Automobile Atlas and Guide 7
be issued by the Iowa Publishing CO
early this spring. This company alon
has spent over $4,000 in getting VI
this atlas. A full description Of tn
road is also published in the automobile
Blue Book which goes into the hands
Of practically every automobile owner
| All this with no expense to the BLU
Grass road.
i The Main Road and Branches,
"The Blue Grass road from Burling'
ton to Council Bluffs, follows the I'M
of the c. B. & @. railroad. from the
Mississippi to the Missouri rivers, {
distance Of 300 miles. and is the short
est one Of the several riyer-to- rivel
roads organized in the past two years
in Iowa.
| Seventy five miles from Burlington
a branch road follows the divide from
| Ottumwa to Fl Madison, Iowa.
''At Mt. Pleasant. thirty miles from
Burlington a branch road runs north
east to Muscatine and Davenport. The
line Of the Blue Grass road from OF
tunwa to FIT. Madison Is being organ
lied east across the Mississippi
| through Illinois into Indianapolis, Ind.
The branch line from Mt. Pleasant to
Muscatine and Davenport, Is being ex-
| tended and organized through Illinois
| into Chicago.
West from Council Bluffs through
| Nebraska, the Blue Grass road has
been laid out and organized to Denver,
Colo. This line Of road through Iowa,
is without question, the best organized
road in our state and do not know OF
500 miles of better roads any where.
Bitter Contests Have Arisen.
Between two and three thousand
farmers are vitality interested in the
success Of this undertaking, besides
several thousand automobtlists. Bitter
contests resulted from it's organization
and these contests have been the means
of starting several competing lines.
These contests have also been
funds for the purpose Of promoting
other lines, as we'll as the Blue Grass
road. More than $4,000 was donated
voluntarily along this line Of road, part
of which was used In cutting down
hills. making large fills. building extra
bridges and in buying land to straight
en- roads, ...s
Two roads contested for the line
between Ottumwa, Iowa, and Abba,
one by way of Eddyville and the other
by way Of Blakesburg. The road by
way of Eddyville was more level, par
TALLY bottom road, but not well grad
ed or well cared for. The road through
Blakesburg was very hilly, but the men
on this line were more public spirited
and more enthusiastic for the road.
While the people of Eddyville were
taking it easy and believing that the
road would surely come their way, the
people Of the little town of Blakesburg
held road meeting of 200 men and
appointed committees to work on the
twenty-six mile line of road from Of
tumwa to Abba and secure funds foe
leveling their road. AS result, the
following guarantee was handed me on
December Z, 1910:
'Blakesburg, Iowa,
~. December 7, 1910.
Chairman Good Roads Committee,
'Ottumwa. Iowa.
Dear Sir: e. *
y In accordance with our previous ar
rangement. we have raised the re-
quired amount, $4,000 to locate the
road known as the Blue Grass road
from Ottumwa to Abba, via Blakes
burg. and we the undersigned, hereby
guarantee to your committee the
amount as above stated. two thousand
dollars. We also ask your committee to
decide at once, if possible, the location
of said route. as.-
~ Walter Abegg f.
j. Il. Cohagan
Guy F. Hall ..
Emmett Jones
Fred Jones.
"(Banker and four Others
Besides this amount, they raised
more than $4,000 additional and the
county supervisors Of the connecting
county seats. spent an extra $1,000,
helping on the most expensive cuts
and fills.
The Result of Enthusiasm.
This is but one Of many similar
contests, and by no means the most
interesting. AS result of the interest
aroused in organizing this road, over
200 concrete bridges and culverts were
over this line last year at
a cost of about $4,000. The supervisors
of almost every one of the sixteen
through which this road runs,
have agreed to place nothing but per- |
manent bridges and culverts on this
road in the future. Over 200 trustees
have also made the same agreement |
with the officials Of this road
More than 1900 farmers signed up |
dragging agreements, before the road
was definitely located through their
townships. The dragging agreement
reads as follows: '..
Road Dragging Agreement.
"'We, the undersigned farmers and
land owners living along the proposed
route Of the Iowa Blue Grass (river-to-
river) road in town
ship ................ county, as fol-
lows go.
500. Description Of rOad ..........
. }. ia
of it's being so routed and
established, hereby pledge ourselves
and agree that as long as we own or
operate said land, we will drag and
keep properly dragged in due season.,
without any consideration other than