The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-09-09
THE JEFFERSON HIGHWAY.
Louisiana to Be Important Link in
Vacation Route Of America

Louisiana to Be Important Link in
Vacation Route Of America
New Orleans and Winnipeg, Cana
da, are to be connected by a hard sur
faced road, good in rain or shine, to
be known as the Jefferson Highway.
The route through Missouri, Iowa,
Minnesota and Canada has been Sc
lected and dedicated, and is now be-
ing hard surfaced.
South of Kansas City, only the high
points have been named. The exact
route to be followed between Shreve-
port and New Orleans remains to be
selected, and will be determined by J.
d. Clarkson, general manager of the
Jefferson Highway Association, after
an inspection tour he will soon make
through Louisiana.
His selection will be based on feas-
ibility of road building, willingness of
the parishes and towns to build the
sort of road required, interest in high
way construction, and the promptness
With which jefferson Highway local
associations are organized in the in
terested parishes.
A show Of lethargy OF lack of in
terest will. probably result in the loss
of the highway to an adjoining parish
where an active interest in it's bene-
fits is apparent.
The project is entirely voluntary.
No town or parish need fear the high
way will be wished on them. The
highway will be routed only where
it is wanted.
All along the way north Of Louisi
ana, every possible route entered a
strenuous contest for designation as
the jefferson Highway. and the people
in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri,
Iowa, Minnesota, and Canada who
have secured the highway deem them
selves so fortunate that they have
all gone to work with q will to COM
pIete their sections at the earliest
possible time.
During nine months past there has
been contest on between two roads
connecting Kansas City and Joplin,
Missouri, distance Of ITO miles.
BY agreement, the Jefferson Highway
! designation is to go to the road on
which the greatest number of miles
Of hard surface is placed by a given
date. So keen is the rivalry that,
during several months, the road build
eis on both routes operated all night
by electric lights, as well as all day.
Near Staples, Mimi, there was a
bad hill. The highway party of in
spection were delayed four minutes
getting over it in July, The delay
was mentioned to the business men
of Staples, and in five minutes they
raised $4,000 with which to reduce
j the hill to a proper grade We want
our section Of the jefferson Highway
4 to be just as good as Welean make il, =
II tshey said
concrete
d highway sixty feet wide to The border
as its contribution to the Jefferson
Highway.
In Iowa, e. T. Meredith, president
Iof the Jefferson Highway Association
: is leading candidate for the COVER
! norship. His chief issue is gooe
roads.
! The Jefferson Highway traverse
only a small portion Of the northeas
corner of Texas, and the fortunate
counties have already voted a bon,
issue of S3,500,000 for the hard sur
facing of their portion of the road
In Missouri, the people have wei
coined the Jefferson Highway TO
three reasons: They say:
s1t will reduce the cost of movin
our farm products to market"
1t will cause connecting hard SUI
faced roads to be built in Missouri t
the extent of at least 100 miles fo
every mile of the Jefferson Highwa
trunk line"
Paul Nesbit, president of the Okls
homa division of the Jefferson High
way Association, says: 1--WE regar
the Jefferson Highway as an asset Q
the greatest possible value to Okls
homa. 1t will bring tens of thousand
OF visitors to our state. They will Sc
the opportunities we have to offe1
and in that way we can draw fres
capital and new, people. That's wha
we need most"
Walter Parker, general manager 0
the New Orleans Association of Com
merce, said: IF Louisiana promptl
delivers her section of the Jefferso
Highway, and the parishes betwee
Baton Rouge and New Orleans EN-
bellish their road by planting palr
trees along the way, we will attrac
100000 automobiles year from tn
north within the next three year:
Many of the people who come sout
Cover the highway will buy rich Louis
lana lands, and sell their less fertil
but higher priced lands in the north.
Every town between Shrevepo1
land New Orleans should see to it thu
both Mr.. Clarkson, on his preliminar
tour, and the official highway part,
which will come south in Novembel
be convinced that Louisiana want
the Jefferson Highway, welcomes i
and stands ready to do it's share q
the work.
Within few months the Jefferso
Highway Association will send roa
building demonstration train oye
the road between Winnipeg and Ne
Orleans, and will build one mile
highway in each county or parish d
string it to do so.
In short while, the highway mari
reading, Jefferson Highway-Ne
Orleans to WinnipegFrom Pine
Palm" will be ready to be placed
every cross roads all the way fro
New Orleans to Winnipeg.
The Jefferson Highway is known
1 ~ IL. n A