The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-08-09
He Found Some Good Roads.

OF an interesting article in the Sunday
Minneapolis Journal on roads in this
section of the state from which we
quote: &>-
While the road from Dayton to
Princeton, which we also mapped, is
not a boulevard by any means, part of
it is through interesting country and
the first few miles, from Dayton to Elk
River, is excellent. From Elk River
to Zimmerman is fair, and from Zim-
norman to Princeton quite sandy, al
though not so bad except in extremely
bad weather, and then only as it slows
one up a bit.
There has been so much demand for
a road from Minneapolis to St. Cloud,
which would cut out that part of the
Jefferson highway which lies between
Anoka and Elk River, that there has
been mapped cutoff from Monticello
to the Jefferson highway and then to
St. Cloud.
Heretofore our weekend trips have
gone only as far as Clear Lake, but we
now have the entire main route and the
several optional routes and cutoffs
from the cities to St. Cloud. The cut
off from Monticello turns left i'm
mediately the Mississippi at Monticello
is crossed, then take the first fork to
the right and then cross country for
about L Il miles to the Jefferson high
way, and then left. This saves six
miles over going back to Big Lake
and then left.
The next route we rode was from
St. Cloud to Princeton, and we we're
agreeably surprised at the condition of
this road for nearly all Of the way.
The distance is approximately 81 miles
and is all good, with the exception of
a few miles.
There is one piece Of new grade
bit messy, but easily negotiable. We
rode it on hot day, but we expert
enced no difficulty. We do not know
how many miles there was of it, but
for several miles before we came into
Princeton we rode over the most beau
tiful graveled roads it ever has been
our good fortune to encounter on
country ride
On all sides of Princeton, save one,
there are these ribbons of roadway
stretching far out into the surrounding
country and tempting the country folk
downward. The one exception is the
road which leads from Princeton to
Elk River and on to the cities. This
road has not been improved and is
heavy with sand, although there has
been cutoff run through a swamp a
few miles south of town, which does
away with a couple of miles of wind
ing, wooded sand road.
The sixth and last route we have
made recently is over the road from
Princeton to Cambridge and thence to
Rush City. We found the same gray
eled, ribbon road leading out of
Princeton toward Cambridge and the
same evidence of road activity as we
left the excellent finished road and en-
countered the new grade. Whoever is
building roads for Mile Laos county is
not novice. Many new grades we
have come over have been found in
such shape that it was almost impos-
sible to negotiate them, while in every
instance Of new road work in this
county we got by in many instances
without even having to change gears.
In approaching Cambridge we found
other good roads, but in leaving Cam
bridge for Rush City we found the old
ANTICIPATED methods employed Of plow-
ing up the side. Of the road and scrap
ing it into the center, sod and all. Of
course, the parties responsible for this
are not road men, but are merely work.
ing to be doing something, and the
road would have been much better if
it had been left alone.
Then the black trail from Rush City
to Minneapolis we were ''greatly en-
couraged" on our start late in the
evening by the remark that the roads
from Rush City to Harris were fright
full, and from North Branch to Tracy
we probably would have the most trou-
BILE, and from there to Wyoming the
roads were anything but good.
The roads between Forest Lake and
Rush City, the supposedly worst
stretch of the Twin City-Duluth high
way, are not extremely bad as a mat,
ter Of fact. They are nothing like
Bob Dunn's Princeton roads, but there
are roads of this kind between Forest
| Lake and White Bear, with the excep
ton of few miles near Forest lake
and when the new grade is completed
on the west side of the track into For
est Lake, the road from there to thu