The Sauk Centre herald., 1916-07-20
JEFFERSON trail
ROUTE DECISION
EARLY NEXT WEEK
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
RECOMMENDATIONS NOT
BINDING ON OFFICIALS :
|SAUk CENTRE CHANCES GOOD
ENGINEER MULLEN FURNISHES
HERALD WITH AUTHENTIC
INFORMATION

The definite route of the jefferson
Highway through Minnesota north of
St. Paul will not be announced before
next Monday at the earliest. When
the announcement comes it will be
from the board of directors of the JEFF
ferson Highway association. The Min
nesota highway commission has no
voice in the selection of the route. It's
only office can be to offer recommen-
dations-and these have been offered.
The decision of the jefferson Highway
officials will be supreme. The boule-
ward will 60 where they place it. 1t has
been repeatedly stated by Manager
j. d. Clarkson of the jefferson associ-
ation that only one route will be NAM
ed. And, as the Herald has always
contended, Sauk Centre has more than
fighting chance to become a station
on the "trail."
The above statements are made on
the authority of Assistant State En-
gineer J. H. Mullen, who has repre-
sented the Minnesota state highway
commission on the tours of the Jeffer-
son association officials through
Northern Minnesota. The authorize
tion was given in a telephone CONVEX
sation this Thursday morning be-
tween Mr.. Mullen at st. Paul and A.
M. Wallace.
/ Mr.. Mullen stated that the directors
of the Jefferson association held
meeting yesterday in St. Joseph, Mo.
What decision regarding the Northern
| Minnesota route was reached, if any,
was not divulged. Mr.. Mullen, how
ever, was advised that Manager Clark
son, with other members of the direc-
torate, would be members of an auto
mobile caravan which leaves St. JOS
eph today to traverse the entire Jeffer-
son trail as selected from that point
| to Winnipeg. The caravan expects to
reach st. Paul some time Monday and
if Sank Centre is to be on the "trail"
the party should reach here either
that same day or Tuesday. Mr.. Null
len expressed his opinion that the 'e-
cision of the directors would be an
nounced on their arrival in ST. Paul,
Schedule for the st. Joseph-Winni-
peg sociability run thus far has only
been announced as far as St. Paul, but
| it is significant that in the advices
sent to Mr. Mullen by General Man.
ager Clarkson he said: "We will drive
slow through Northern Minnesota to
enioy it's beauties" This would indi-
cate, it appears, that preference is ex-
tended to the Itasca Park lake region,
/ with it's direct line through Stearns
and Todd counties, rather than the
western Moorhead-C -Crookston routes
Again, Mr.. Mullen permits himself
being quoted as saying that the JEFF
| ferson association officials conceded
that the best continuous stretch OF
road they traversed in Northern Min
nesota was the stretch between Be-
midi and Sauk Centre. All in all, the
! Herald still contends that Sauk Cen
tire has more than fighting chance.
/ The Minnesota highway commission
met in st. Paul last Thursday after
4 noon and formulated set of recon-
mendations directed to the Jefferson
association. These recommendations
are not binding on the Jeqerson Off
cials. They endorse loop system
for the northern part of the state. The
loop proposed would start from Elk
River.
.,One route would 60 from Elk River
Ithrough Princeton, Milaca, Onamia,
around Mile Laos lake to Brainerd,
northwesterly to Gull lake, Pine River,
Walker, Cass Lake, Bemidji, Red Lake
Falls, Thief River Falls and thence
west to the Pembina trail and to the
border. ~'--.--el-~u-~~l l-'-~
The other route would be through
st. Cloud, Sank Centre, Alexandra,
Henning, Frazee, Detroit, Moorhead,
Crookston, north on the old railroad
grade, continuing to Thief River Falls
on the eastern route and then north
on the Pembina trail to the boundary.
To connect these two routes, the
commission recommended an air line
from Sauk Centre through Long
Prairie, Wadena, Park Rapids, Itasca
Park to Bemidji. Commenting on the
latter route the st. Cloud Journal
Press, which has been partial to the
Little Falls-Wadena route, says:
= This latter route will be the pop