The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-02-03
JEFFERSON HIGH
Way IN THE AIR
THIS IMPORTANT TRUNK LINE
MAY YET PASS THROUGH
SAUK CENTRE
Commission IS CONSIDERING
THREE HUNDRED DELEGATES
ATTEND MEETING IN ST.
PAUL THURSDAY

At the meeting of the Minnesota
State Highway commission held at st.
Paul last Thursday to consider the es-
Establishment of the Jefferson Highway
north of the Twin Cities, something
over 800 delegats were in attendance.
These meetings are ordinarily held in
the Commissions rooms in the Shu-
bert building but the large crowd
made it necessary to adjourn to the
Senate chamber of the old State Cap
itol.
Messrs Babcock of Elk River and
McNair of Clouquet, together with
State Highway Commissioner Cooley,
were the members of the board in
charge of the meeting Fred B. Lynch,
the third member of the board, was so
busy trying to repair his poor political
fences that he did not have time to at
tend.
This Jefferson Highway will start
at New Orleans and will run to Win
nipeg, Can. A route has been prac-
tically agreed upon to the Twin Cities.
1t is very likely that st. Cloud will al
so be on the route. Some little time
ago it was tentatively agreed to route
the highway from St. Cloud to Little
Falls, Staples and Wadena.
1t was about this time that the peo-
pie along the Great Northern line be-
gan to wake up and take an interest
in the matter. The board promised
rehearing on the case, and set Jan.
9th at IL o'clock a. M, as the time
for the meeting. Several days before
this President j. F. Cooper of the
Sank Centre Commercial Club sent
out letters to all towns between St.
Cloud and Wadena, asking them to
send delegates to this meeting. They
were to meet at the Boardman hotel,
st. Paul, Thursday morning at 900
o'clock. When noses were counted il
was found that 81 live wires in
Stearns and Todd counties had re-
sponded to the call.
Mr.. Babcock presided over the meet
ing and he called upon the counties
interested, in alphabetical order. The
meeting started shortly after IL and
it waxed warm and continuous until
nearly 5 in the afternoon. In all about
80 gentlemen from the various Sec
tions interested told of the manifold
advantages which would accrue by US
ing the route they were primarily in
terested in.
However, it remained for DR.. ]. A.
Dubois of Sank Centre, and Rudolph
Lee, of Long Prairie, speaking in
behalf of the st. Cloud Sank Centre
Long Prairie route to make the really
practical talks of the afternoon.
Splendid state roads are already built
through Stearns and Todd counties
along the Sank Centre route, and in
stead of traversing vast wilderness
Of sand and brush for miles in order
to reach the lake regions, the Sank
Centre-Long Prairie route passes
through the real agricultural garden
spot of Minnesota. Mr.. Lee had a let
ter signed by four of the five county
commissioners of Todd stating in eff
feet that because of the poor quality
Of road building MATERIAL and the
character of the soil in the northeast
corner of Todd county, through which
the Little Falls route must travel, the
building of state highway in this
part of the county would be expen-
sive and impractical, and that it would
not be the policy of the board to ex-
pend any funds on such a highway. 1t
was generally admitted that the Sank
s,rso do
the real practical talks of the day.
Able assistance was given their eff
forts by L. w. Gingery of Sank Cen
tire, Peter Ahlers of Albany, and AL
yah Eastman Of st. Cloud and A. H.
Hendrickson of Kandota.
In outlining the requirements of the
jefferson Highway commission, it was
stated that the three things to be con-
sidered were, distance, roads and
road building materialfi and accommo-
dations along the proposed routes. 1t
was. admitted that the Sank Centre
route would necessitate about Is miles
more travel than the Little Falls
route, but the character of the roads
enroute would more than make up for
the distance to be travelled; that
splendid and well kept highways were
already constructed, and that good
towns with hotel accommodations and
garages could be found every few
miles. '.sN 11l -:hAih!l
The speakers 70 rail- the rc-tes were
xentlemanly in their claims for their
section, and the uppermost thought in
the minds Of all appeared TO be that If;
tContinued on Page Five.)