The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1915-04-28
From tennessee.
Knoxville, II, 1916.

Knoxville, II, 1915.
Editor News:
Are the people of Columbia and
Adair county taking any interest in
the proposed Dixie Highway from
Chicago ILL.,, to Miami, Florida?
1t seems to be the general opinion
that this road, a through road from
the lakes to the gulf, will certainly be
constructed in the near future. Its
route seems to be pretty well estab-
lished except from Indianapolis to
Chattanooga. Commissioners have
been appointed to locate it There
are three or four suggested routes
One would carry it through Louisville,
by way of Mammoth Cave and Bow
ling Green, to Nashville, another
through Louisville, Bardstown, Co
lumbia, Albany, Crossville, Tenn, and
thence to Chattanooga: another by
Cincinnati and Lexington to the, same
point; and still another by Cincinnati,
Lexington and Richmond to the Cum
berland Gap, and thence by roads al
ready nearly completed via, Knox
vile to Chattanooga. This last route
would strike the Boone Highway in
Central Kentucky, and would follow
the wilderness way which our pioneer
fathers travelled when they came from
Virginia to settle Kentucky. This
Boone Highway is already an assured
fact, as all these mountain counties in
Kentucky except one have taken &C
tion for its construction, and there
are only one or two counties in Ten
nessee without a connection already
established. 49,
In the Courier-Journal a few days
ago, map was given which placed
Columbia and Albany on what is
known as the most direct route. A
Knoxville Daily, which is before me as
[ write, also maps the several pre-
posed routes, placing the same towns
on the central route, and devoting
four columns to the road and, it's ad-
vantages.
The fact that our town is on the
shortest proposed route, and that it is
conceded that it is one which may
possibly be adopted, should awaken us
to an interest in the subject
At the recent meeting of the Gov.
ernors Of the States interested and
ether citizens. held at Chattanooga,
Monticello and Albany were both rep
resented, but there was no one from
Adair. 1t seems to me that Adair,
Russell, Cumberland and Clinton and
the counties on the line between Co
lumbia and Louisville should get in
touch with each other, so as to pre-
sent to the best advantage this CEN
trail and shortest route to the COM
missioners who will locate the road.
Even the route should be selected by
way of Cincinnati, we would still be
On a very direct line-and perhaps as
good as could be selec-ed. 1t will be
remembered that in the building of
the Cincinnati Southern, the route
through Adair county received con.
Sideration, and that an earlier day
what is known as the Gum survey,
was made for railroad in the same
general direction proposed One ad-
vantage that we have in addition to
distance is, that we already have pike
connection with Louisville, and also
via, Lexington with Cincinnati. We
would only have to fill in the gap
from Columbia to Albany, or through
a part of Adair and Cumberland, to
have a continuous line across the
State of Kentucky from either city.
With the road already being surveyed
towards Russell, we would only have
to construct an additional six or eight
miles toward Greensboro to Garry it
through Adair.
This is an enterprise which appeals
directly to farmers as we'll as to tour
lists.
1t opens up highway of travel by
auto from the East and North to the
winter resorts in the South, over
which thousands of tourists would
pass each year, and along which tens
of thousands of dollars would be left,
besides opening up the country for
local traffic and travel. In addition
to the main line in little while later
al roads would reach out in every di-
rection as the smaller streams flow in
to the great rivers.
Is the enterprise feasible?