The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-03-12

From Tuesdays Daily.


The other day tried II. The
driving will not be good until the
snow goes off and the water
dries of. do ms travelling through
the country now In n sleigh.
The two hest automobile drives
out OF the city Mt the present stage
OF road improvement are the Madi-
son Lake road and the Good Thun-
der road. The Mapleton state road,
No. s, Is in good condition until you
get across the bridge OF the lie
Sueur river in Decoria. This makes
about eight miles of good road. There
Ia good travelling over about twelve
miles of the Madison Lake road.
The Good Thunder road has about
thirteen miles of very good roadway
that is graveled.
After those that have mentioned
perhaps the best piece of road for
auto driving In this county is the
State Road No. 6, which goes out
through Butternut Valley from Lake
Crystal with about seven miles OF
excellent graveled road.
State Road No. 10.
State road No. 10. that is, the
Lake Crystal road. is in very good
condition from Mankato to Pigeon
Mn. we intend this year to i'm.
prove the Lake Crystal and Garden
City roads from Senator Pugh's place
towards Lake Crystal and Garden
City. Senator Pugh's place is
little southeast of Pigeon Hill, about
one mile. should judge. This work
will be done this summer.
State Road No. 2. the road going
east from the region Of the Madi-
son Lake towards Waseca, called the
.snesville road. will be graveled this
summer. We graded four miles here
last year and we will surface II
with gravel this year.
Then there is piece two and
a half miles long. running east OF
Mapleton. We graded this last year.
II is not quite finished but we in
lend TO finish and gravel II this
year.
They are carrying that road south
from Good Thunder. We built two
miles from the city limits last year
and will build two and a half miles
this year.
Il graded two miles on the Man.
kato and Lake Crystal road last
year and We intend to gravel that
this year
Road TO Nicollet. \
THAT road from North Mankato
to Nicollet, they will begin to build
about the first OF June. That is a 4
thirteen mile drive and will be an
excellent one after IL is completed.
That Is done under the state rural
highway law. Harry Daniels, dis
trict highway engineer. has charge
of that. But most of the good drives
around Mankato are on this side
OF the river.
State Road No. 3. known as the
Scenic Highway, will be completed
this summer This runs three and
a half miles north from Mankato.
II will be rough and hard to travel
while under construction. ! would
suggest that people going and COM
ing between here and st. Peter had
better take the blum road.
Just now / would not advise
anyone TO go with an automobile
outside of town. It will be some
time yet before the snow has melted
OF the roads and the water has
dried Off so that autoing will be
good
One Favorite Long Drive.
One of the favorite long drives
Is from here to Faribault. That
makes a nice drive in the summer
time. You can 60 by way of Madi-
son Lake and then come home by
Owatonna and Waseca and James,
vile. That makes a nice trip.
ALSO the drive to New Ulm Is a
nice trip in the summer time You
either go to st. Peter and across
the country by the old New Ulm
and st. Peter road or else you take
n shorter cut to that same road by
going direct to Niocllet
"One may take a nice drive around
Blue Earth county. You can 60 on
the Mapleton road south to Maple
ton and then 60 west through Ster.
ling Center to Amboy and then
north through Vernon Center, Garden
City, Lake Crystal and back to Man
kato. That makes a nice drive.
IL is about sixty miles and will do
very well for a Sunday, when the
weather Is favorable"
Southern Minnesota, especially Blue
Earth county, has the reputation
for nice drives and fine roads. They
are a delight for autoists.
Engineers Report to Commission.
District Engineer b. NJ. Gallagher,s
report TO the state highway commits.
SION for the year 1914 is in part
IS follows:
Blue Earth county has a land
area Of 1872 square miles. The es.
timated total mileage OF roads in the
county is $3.50 miles, of which sew.
enty-fiye miles are reported as being
improved and of which 1893 miles
have been designated as state roads.
The valuation in 1914 was s15,67s,145,
and population by the last census
29,337. This gives for each mile OF
road five square miles area, s1O,314