The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-05-01
INTEREST IN
STATE HIGHWAYS
MOVEMENT FOR BETTER ROADS
STEADILY GAINING GROUND
IN THE STATE
HIGHWAYS OF STATEWIDE IMPORTANCE
Work is Progressing FavorabIy on All
The lines-Roads to Cross South
Dakota North and South

South Dakota has gone a long way in
past ear in regard to highway i'm
provement, and Is continuing the work
this spring with renewed energy, says
a Pierre dispatch. The most of the
work is along the line of cross state
main trunk lines, with the feeders"
to follow after the trunk line systems
are completed. These are each under
control OF different local organizations,
with a general state organization in
charge of the field. The officers of the
general association are J. w. Parmley,
of Ipswich, president; and Ben M.
Wood Of Rapio City, secretary, these
two men having done probably more
for road improvement in the state than
any other two men.
The main lines which have been laid
out and are generally plated in auto
mobile books, are the Meridian road,
which has for it's final purpose a line
from Winnipeg to Galveston. A large
amount OF work has been done on this
line, and ONE OF the counties have
put in a number of miles of gravel
highway upon 1t, and it has been inn
proved to some extent across the state.
Another main line is the Chicago,
Black Hills and Yellowstone Park"
line, which is designated as the "Black
and Yellow road for the Black Hills
and Yellowstone Park. This enters
the state at Elkton, after crossing Min
nesota from Winona; and crosses
South Dakota by way of Huron, and
Pierre to Rapid City. The South Da-
kota Scenic Highway Is from Sioux
Falls to Rapid City by way of Mitchell
and Chamberlain, and traverses a mum
Der of miles Of the Bad Land section of
the state west OF the Missouri. The
Twin Observation-Disclosures
Park Trail enters the state at Big
Stone, and crosses into North Dakota
at Lennon, passing through Aberdeen
and Mobridge, and so on to the Yellow
stone Park. Shorter lines are from
Sioux City o Chamberlain by way of
Yankton and Platte; the Sioux Falls
Salem and %Iroquois line; and the Sioux
Falls, Brookings and Milbank line, the
latter the best one of the two north
and south Meridian roads.
The main issue in these lines of high
way is maintenance to keep them in
condition for auto travel tho year
around. And the vital question with
all of them Is expense. Under the
state constitution no state aid a be
supplied. The work must all be done
with local funds. Indirectly the legis-
lature made some provisions by plac-
ing a six dollar a year license on all
autos in the state, which now number
near sixteen thousand, and mean over
one hundred thousand dollars a year.
But this goes into the county funds OF
the counties in which the machines are
owned. One eighth Of it goes to the
state for administration of the law, and
the rest OF the fund goes to the coun-
ties for road improvement. This fund
will help a great deal toward mainten-
ance when used In connection with the
local funds derived from taxation.
These highways generally owe the
prairie section of the state, but those
which enter the Black Hills bring the
travel into the western part Of the
state with scenic beauties which rival
the more %pretenious mountains further
west In the main ranges Of the Rockies
and with less climbing. Once within
the Hills country" proper there are
many good highways, as that part Of
the state has been forced into greater
action by the class OF country they
must travel over, than that of the more
level sections. The "Black and Vel
low" trail, after crossing the heart OF
the state to the Missouri river, follows
the old historic Black Hills trail from
Pierre to Rapid City, over which for
years most of the supplies were taken
into the Black Hills country by slow
plodding bull trains" and along which
many exciting contests were waged by
the guards Of the treasure coaches
which brought out the bullion and gold
dust from the Hill for shipment east.
The Scenic highway after crossing
the Missouri river for miles skirts or
runs through the Bad Lands, one OF
the great features of the west. where
the erosion of thousands Of years nas
worn the many colored buttes into
fantastic shapes, and with their varied
colors and J ues make a sight worth go.
ing far to see.
While the state associations are de-
voting their time to the cross state
highways which will help to make the
state a part of the great highway sys-
TENS OF the country, the local authori-
ties are not allowing all the work to be
done or these main lines of travel.
These big roads" are only a stmulant
for increased betterment of roads
crossing cou, ties, or connecting tw or
more towns and there has been a hun
dred times as much effort and many
more dollars spent in highway improve
ment In South Dakota the past two
years than for many years in the past.