The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1917-02-08
FIRST ROAD WORK
BY C0NvICTS IN 1898

know that the first public road build
ing ever undertaken by convicts in
Colorado was during the summer of
1898, nearly nineteen years ago.
Under the provisions of a special
law enacted by the legislature thru
| the efforts of T. J. Earheart. the
present state highway commissioner,
during the administration of c. p.
Hoyt as warden of the pententiary
special appropriation of $4,000 was
! set aside for the building of what was
known at that time as the Pueblo
Leadville road. which was designed
| to follow the grade of the Arkansas
river.
John Chetelat. the present superin-
tendent of the Canon City water
works system, who was then living in
| Custer county, was selected by War
den Hoyt TO take charge of the first
bunch of prisoners from the peniten-
tiary ever sent outside the walls of
the institution to work on the public
highways.
He established a stockade on the
A. l.. Hatley ranch, seven miles south
of Cotopaxi, where he was given fifty
men to engage in highway construc-
ton. Work was carried on there dur
ing the summer OF 1898 and about
four or five miles of substantial road
bed was built. Altho the enterprise
was new one for the inmates of Pc
nal institutions in the west. the men
rather enjoyed their experience and
cape.
During the session OF the legisla-
ture in 1870 0a bill was drawn by Wal
do & Dawson of this city authorizing
the requisition of convicts from the
penitentiary for employment on the
public highways OF the state. This
bill was championed in the general
assembly by Senator Moses f. Lewis
of Florence and was made statute.
In fact. it is the basis of the present
law of Colorado bearing on the sub
ject. Under it appropriations of pub
lie money were made for highway
work and many miles of magnificent
driveways have since been built and
by means of it Colorado became pio-
neer in the movement for the use of
convicts in road construction.
Prisoners from the penitentiary
however. had been employed in out
side work several years before road
building was taken up by them. Dur
ing the administration of Governor
Waite. in 1892 and 1898. conyicts
We're used in building the old state
ditch. the grade of which forms the
present tunnel drive into the Royal
Gorge. but no road work was done by
them in that connection. Highway
construction by prisoners was later /
consideration.
Much credit for the use Of convicts
in public road building in Colorado is
cue to John Cleghorn. who was war
den of the penitentiary at the time the
skyline drive was constructed. War
den Cleghorn was an advocate of inn !
proved highways and always took a
keen interest in the work of the CON
victs in such undertakings. altho their
labors during his regime was confiped
to Fremont county.
Under Warden lyman the work of
the prisoners In that respect has been
amplified and extended and now en-
braces the entire state. Convict In
Dor has built in Colorado hundreds of
rifles of the best public highways in
the west during the last few years
and its results have attracted tie at
tention of engineers. automobile assc-
Citations. good roads boosters and
pubIio Officials in all parts of ;he
r..ed Star's. The success of ne
enterprise hc.e fas led to its rita
10: IN may p,.r:s of the country ara
numerous .Ia'cs are now following
t7e example OF Colorado in dat re-
sl.ect. The movement for the i.il.' a
tion of prisoners in public road con-
struction. which had its beginning
here, promises to become nation
wide.
No state from Ohio westward 10 the
Pacific. coast has as many miles OF
good, traversable highways as Colo
RADIO and 1t is attributable to that
fact that this state is destined to be-
come the mecca of motorists from all
sections OF the country. 1t is said
that only New York. Pennsylvania,
Ohio and California exceed Colorado
in its mileage OF first class automobile
roads. The work begun in this state
liz spreading TO all sections of the
Union.