The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-12-03
MARION COUNTY WILL
PULL FOR HARD ROAD
To Connect With Palatka-
Rodman-Orange Springs
Air Line.

The people of Ocala are waking up
to the Importance of an air line hard
surface road to Palatka. This since
the recent meeting at Rodman, where
steps were taken looking to the build
ing of hard surface road from Pa
latka to Rodman and Orange Springs.
The Ocala Star, noting the impor-
lance of this road, says:
The Star has been urged to boost
and pull for a hard road from Ocala
in an air line to Palatka, making the
distance from Ocala to Palatka about
Is miles shorter than the route the
automobiles now take in going and
coming between the two points. This
proposed route is almost an air line
and is as near an air line as will be
had in many years from this city to
Jacksonville, via Palatka and st. Au-
gustine. We are told on good au-
thority that the Putnam county Off
Gals, cooperating with the big land
company which owns thousands Of
acres of land along the way will soon
harden the road from the present
highway, some IL or Is miles this
side Of Palatka, straight across to Or
ange Springs, famous summer and
winter resort of so years ago, via
Fort Mccoy, one of the most thickly
populated sections of the county and
well deserving hard road, on to Sill
yer Springs, natures wonder of the
south, striking the hard road there
and on to Ocala. There would only
be about Is miles of road for this
county to build, to connect up and
make the air line to Jacksonville, and
that distance is practically all through
f1at-woods, where the mere throwing
up of the soil and ditching along the
present road will answer with little or
no surfacing.
If this is done every tourist COM
ing this way through the state can
come this route and have a look at
Silver Springs. 1t should be called
the Ocala-Silver Springs-Jacksonville
or st. Augustine highway, and would
soon be one of the most travelled
pieces of road in the state
From Palatka to Jacksonville there
is now only about Is miles of bal
road and that is not so very hard trav-
cling. The balance of the 70 miles is
nearly all brick and Putnam will soon
connect Hastings with Palatka by
brick and there will then only be that
famous little Duval gap of four miles
of sand, which we are led to believe
will be filled this winter.
We would like to see the county
commissioners and the public spirit
ed citizens get together on this plan.
The people of Orange Springs.
Mccoy and the intervening sections
are entitled to the road and the trav.
cling public would rise up and call
them blessed if the work should be
done.
The road via Hawthorne is not only
Is miles longer than the Silver
Springs Orange Springs air line
would be, but there is 10 miles of as
bad sand as the country produces
from Evinston to Hawthorne, with
number of other very bad places on
the route.
The advantages Of tourists and
strangers being able to stop and see
Silver Springs and tell their friends
of it's wonders and route them that
way would be one of the greatest as
sets of the county and another great
factor in putting Ocala and Silver
Springs on the map and giving them
the recognition they are entitled to.
Let US all get busy and we can build
this link and connect up a great
highway of travel.