The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-02-08
STATE HIGHWAY
ROUTE ADOPTED
PROF. SOLBERG'S CROSS-STATE
ROAD SELECTED BY DEAD
WOOD CONVENTION
FROM BROOKINGS TO WYOMING LINE
Route Will Be Printed In Automobile
Blue Book-Road Is Plated from
Mankato, Mimi, Westward

The B~rookings delegation has just
returned from the Interstate Good
Roads Convention at Deadwood, and
report a series of successful meetings.
This Convention was attended by 200
delegates from various counties in
both Wyoming and South Dakota.
The Commercial Club of Brookings
was represented by Professor H. c.
Solberg.
Professor Solberg's recommendation
for an east and west automobile high
way was adopted unanimously by the
Convention. Mr.. Solberg is probably
one of the earliest advocates Of good
roads in South Dakota, and for seven
years was behind the project of build
ing a mile of model road in Brook
ings county, which was finally accom-
plished last summer by the liberal
support of the Brookings Commercial
Club. This model road was the start
ing point of a statewide agitation
of a like nature, and now other coun-
ties throughout the state are following
the lead Of Brookings county in road
building.
While Professor Solberg had the
model road in mind, he had a vision
of a great highway to cross the state
from east to west, following the ma
tural line Of travel of practically all
the cities and towns along the North
western Railway, through Elkton,
Aurora, Bookings, Volga, Arlington,
Lake Preston, De Smet, %Iroquois, HUI,
ron Miller, Highmore, Pierre. and
onward from the Deadwood trail to
Philip, continuing through and beyond
the Hills country. For six or eve
years Mr.. Solberg had been collecting
data for the projection of this auto
mobile highway.
In order to get this line printed in
the Automobile Blue Book it was
found necessary to connect the pro
posed highway with roads which were
already published in the Blue Book.
This made necessary the plotting OF
the entire roadway from Mankato,
Mimi, westward. Professor Solberg
then set out to collect all the data by
men in the towns and cities along the
line. This data was turned over to
the students of the engineering depart
ment of the college, who were glad
Of an opportunity to prepare drawings,
and thereby get practical experience,
and at the same time perform a vast
service to the state.
Professor Solberg went to Dead
wood with a complete set Of drawings
showing the highway from Chicago,
and Milwaukee, through Madison to
Lacrosse, Rochester, Mankato and
westward; and also a line from st.
Paul and Minneapolis, connecting at
Mankato. From Mankato westward
the highway is completed by section
lines showing the turns and curves
in detail all the way to Sundance in
Wyoming. This line was unanimously
adopted so far as South Dakota is
concerned, by the Deadwood conven-
ton, as shown by the following para
graph copied from the resolutions:
Second, we remommend the route
plotted and selected by Professor H.
C. Solberg Of Brookings so far as it
pertains to the State of South Dakota,
said. line traversing the State of South
Dakota East and West passing
through the following counties, Brook
ings, Kingsbury, Beadle, Hand,
Hughes, Stanley, Pennington, Meade
and Lawrence and delivering the said
highway at the Wyoming state line"
This action placed the stamp OF
approval upon the work done by the
engineering department Of the State
college. This road has also been de-
scribed, and will be published in the
Blue Book, Vol. 5, for 1912, which will
place South Dakota upon the High
way map of the United States. This
road will be extended through Gillette
and Buffalo in Wyoming, and across
the Big Horn Mountains, through the
Yellow Stone Park, with the Pacific
Coast as the objective point.
This work Is OF q permanent nature
and Of great importance. 1t Is not
generally known that the Federal gov.
eminent is constructing a road across
the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.
through the Forest Reserve. When