The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-06-20
THE GOOD ROADS men
REACHED MITCHELL
COMMITTEES MAKING "TRIP OVER
SCENIC HIGHWAY STOPPED
HERE FOR 4 MEllITG TUES
DAY NIGHT.

Making an official trip over the
South Dakota Scenic Highway. Secre-
tary Ben Wood, OF Rapid City, j.. l..
White of Sioux Falls, a. l.. Wood
hail, representative of the Auto Blue
Book, OF Chicago, and j. l.. Nelson
and E. *. Mather. civil engineers,
reached Mitchell TUESDAY evening
from Alexandria just in time for |
supper and held an evening meeting |
at the city hall auditorium. The
men started from Sioux Falls Mon
day morning and stopped at all points
on the line OF route and inspected the
work which has already been done on
the highway.
At the city hall meeting Secretary
Wood and Mr.. White We're the speak
ers. Mr.. Wood said in part:
The object OF this trip is to keep
alive and stimulate the interest
which has already been developed
in the Scenic Highway, and to sc,
the corners established along the
roadway from Sioux Falls to Rapid
City. When this is completed the
route and everything of interest per-
tanning to it, such as bridges, turns in
the road, and all detailed information
will be given in the Auto Rlue Book.
To show you how interested the pub
fishers of this book are, they have
sent along with us one of their men,
Mr.. Woodhall, who will make note
of everything in connection with the
route. 1t will indicate the distance OF
one point to another where the turns
in he road are made, giving the eNac
distance from II culvert to another,
or one bridge to another, so that with
the speedometer the distance a be
accurately determined. 1t is the first
instance where the Blue Book people
have sent a man out on a new road so
soon after it has been started.
We have been adopted as
a part of the Waubonsie trail,
which is now II of the largest road
ways in the country, extending as
far a as indianapolis, west to
Omaha and south to Kansas City.
Arrangements have beer made to
extend the road from Omaha to Sioux
City and thence to Sioux Falls for di-
rect connection with the Scenic High
way. From the Waubonsie trail there
are as many as fifteen roadways di-
verting into different sections OF
the country, and II can sec what
a grand thing it is for the Scenic
Highway to be in such close II
ton with the W~aubonsie trail.
II have found that the tourists are
looking for a new country to invade
and there is no state i'm the west
which offers such fine scenic advant-
ages is South Dakota. The authors
of the Blue Book state that they are
getting requests constantly from
tourists looking TO: newer territory
and for that reason they are a!lXlous
to have the Scenic Highway conplet-
ed as early as possible. Tie Bad
Lands in the western part of the
state have never been explored by
the public and it will be a new open
ing for the eastern people. This tour
list traffic is the kind that pays and
you people in Mitchell will feel the
effects of it to a great extent. | know
from personal knowledge hat fully
100 tourists have come into the state
since the Scenic Highway was start
ed, and not one of them ave spent
less than $40 in going through the
state, so you can see what has been
accomplished thus for.
Il want to present one thing to
your notice which possibly has not
occurred and that is what it costs
a farmer to transport his product to
market under the present road con-
ditions. This has been accurately fig
ured out, and the farmer pays 81
cents per ton per mile for this work.
Under the good roads system in
I f0roiop nnIntrioc il hnc hocn fpurnI
out hat it costs those farmers but
Z cents per ton per mile. The saving
is quite apparent. l know it is a hard
! thing to interest farmers in the good
roads idea, but once get him interest
ed and he is sticker for it.
Taking into consideration the
number of tourists who have Travelled
through COLORADO as an example. |
believe that the figures arc conserva-
tive when | say that with this scenic
high way completed there will be L.
900 machines pass through the state
and the tourists will leave an ag-
grcgate of 500. 900 distributed in
the towns, and this with less than
$4,000 spent on the roadway. ] de-
clare that this is the best invest
ment hat could be made in South
Dakota, and with the proper adver-
Using of the attractions along the
line of route, the tourists will come
here just as strong as they have in
Colorado"
j.. L.. White. who is a strong good
roads enthusiast, spoke for a short
time on what has been accomplish
ed out of Sioux Falls. He stated that
he has been using convict labor to
quite a good extent and he finds the
men more than willing to get out into
the sunshine, rather than to remain
within the prison walls and do the
contract work which is required of
them.
Il am anxious for the legislature
to adopt a law next winter" said Mr..
White, (which will make it possible
for the %convicts in the pe%nitentiary
to be taken ont on parole and given
the opportunity to work on the high
way. 1t is infinitely much better for
them to do this than to work on the
contract work. The legislature should
y do this in all justice to the men and
tn the good roads movement. also