The Marshall republican., 1913-05-30
SALINE COUNTY
ROADS

/ Tor by the motorists and good road
enthusiasts. the old settlers say that
the worst of our present day roads
compare very iayorably with the best
roads OF earlier days.
The much-extollod times before
the war" when, as our fathers aud
mothers tell Us, all men were more
hcnesi, people were more hospitable.
Workmon more skilled and painstak-
ing. when the girls and women
thought less OF iads and iinery. and
Instead OF attending clubs and suf-
iiagette meetings devoted their en-.
tire timc TO the household atts OF
cooking. sewing. darning socks end
making lye soap: whcn children were
seen and not heard" aud the hum.
an race was infinitely better:
even that golden age probably did
rot seem 80 golden ut the time as g.
now does, viewed through the inists
o. half n century. aud II is certain
that the lie or even the wcalthlosi
land owner OF Saline county was not
q continuous bed OF roses. and these
same old settlers had to endure
many hardshlps and Inconvenience
that We OF these later days can
scarcely imagine.
ono OF tho chief difficulties o.
that time was the question of roads.
or rather the lack OF them. for IN the
earlier days before the farms were
enclosed and when much of this
region was still government land. tho
roads ran across country with total
digrogard Tor section lines or the
points oi the compass, turning aside
for particularly troublesome clay
hill. winding mile upstream 20
reach a safe ford. striking a short
cut through the open prairie nnd or
through broken country and loS-lyluc
bottom lands 20 the old towns aonc
the Big Muddy"
Some OF sallne's old roads riill
run for short distances along their
orlginal irregular course without re-
gard TO direction. but most OF them
have uecn ro-surleyed along tho sec
tion tines fol the benefit Of the arlus|
through whicl. they pass, and most cf|
tho short cuts have boen done away
with. These roads. as they are att
r.tsent. were usually good IN mmnor|
along their highest spots. but became
nearly impossible in the winter and
Spring. especially through the swami
py country that at that time covered
a considerable portion OF Saline coun-
ty. And IN those days good goads
were even more important than they
are now. for the county being sparse
ly settled whole counties Constituted
nelghhorhoods and these same roads
we're the links which bound the plon-
eor in the outlying districts, far re-
moved from the settlements 10 ciyiil-
cation and were the arteries through
which all social intercourse flowed.
u was over these roads that the
planter and his family drove to
church or TO the county seat when
court was In session or during county
fair week; over which the whlte-coy-
cred wagons OF immigrants bound for
the far west with all their goods and
ohattels passed. that sore-'ooted ped
lers trod. taking their packs from
house TO house; IN fact over which all
the community. rich and poor alike,
had to go. so bad roads was n hard
ship common TO all.
In those days much OF the travel
was done on horseback and even on
foot from place to place In the county,
and the only conveyances were the
heavy and cumbersome wagons drawn
by oxen or mules, and nearly always
made In the county and often times
on the farm. for at that time most Of
the larger farms had a blacksmith
shop. Carriages were a luxury that
only few OF the more prosperous
could afford, some OF them costing az
high as $l,200.0O. The late Aaron
Bruce. owner OF the famous old Bruce
or Elmore farm on the Lexlngtop
road, had family carriage sent him
from Cincinnati in the Sos. which II
said to have cost that auBunt, tthe
price of good automobile at pres
ent) and which was long the pride OF
the entire neighborhood These car.
ripges. with the high seat In front for
the negro coachman. the smaller seat
behind for the small negro boy, whose
duties included opening the numerous
gates through which they passed, and,
when they arrived at their destina-
tlon. opening the heavy side doors
and letting down the folding steps,
were picturesque sight along the old