The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-12-16

Highway association, in cooperation
with local commercial CLUBS. 1'he
first real highway to be blazed across
the state was the Red Trail, a link in
the National Parks highway, extend
ing from Boston to Seattle, and com
municating with Yellowstone, Glacier
and other great western parks and
threading the picturesque Bad Lands
OF western North Dakota.
When originally plated, the Red
Trail was little more than connec-
ting network of prairie trails, leading
from one town to another. A prairie
trail consists of two y Well-defined
grooves in the virgin sod, cut origin.
ally, probably 10y prairie schooners in
their westward trek. Usually these
trails follow the law of the land, avoid
ing hills by detours, making wide
curves to escape sloughs and gullies.
Often the pioneer trail blazers, as in
the case of the old time freighters who
established the Black Hills trail from
Bismarck to Deadwood. when the
Black Hill gold fever was at its height,
chose 50 we'll that modern engineer
| ing has been unable to make great
improvement.
With the coming of the automobile,
however, these prairie trails, original
ly the most wonderful going imagin-
able, began wearing deeper and deep
err, until finally high centers came to
be real menace. Then same the
day of the graded road. or turnpike
OF such consists today practically ev-
cry mile of the Red Trail, extending
across the state from Fargo to Beach:
the Wonderland Trail. running from
Grand Forks to Williston, and the
Black Hills trail, crossing the state
from northeast to southwest, and
forming link in a continuous inter-
national highway from Winnipeg to
Denver, through the most scenic sec
ton of the middle west. s'.".. :
The first highway construction was
done in a haphazard manner, each
county supervising its own work. Lex.
pending exorbitant sums on" grading
and bridgejbuilding. accomplishing lit.
tie to begin with. and taking NO steps
to maintain that little. State high
way legislation received no attention
until within the last six years. The
first definite step in this direction was
taken only two years ago. when the
last legislative assembly established
state highway department.; amended
the automobile registration act so as
to more than treble the revenue deriv-
ed from the licensing Of automobiles,
and placed a large proportion OF this
fund at the disposal Of state high
way department, which was given over
to the state engineer and acompetent
force of assistants.
Today more than 400 miles of work
has been completed or laid out. and
an aggregate Of more than a million
dollars will have been expended on
state and federal highways by the
close Of 1919. Practically all of the
work consists of plain dirt roads.
North Dakota gunlbo is not good road
building material. There is little clay,
sand or gravel. The one possible
! source of material for permanent
roads in the state is the Fad Lands
region, where the scoria, which Is
simply clay. baked to the consistency
OF very hard brick by the fires which
have burned for centuries In the l1g-
| NIT deposits Underlying the DutteS OIL
western North Dakota, fires whose
glaress and smokes and rumbliEg
caused the Indians to give this region
the name which it now bears.
Scoria has been successfully used
locally in the Bad Lands. and 1t Is
now being experimental with for the
first time by state and federal engi-
neers. If it proves practicable, 1t
may mean the salvation of permanent
highways for North Dakota, for the
supply is inexhaustible, and the
source Is accessible to all parts OF
the state With good roads will come
a better knowledge Of North Dakota
and it's resources, which North Dakota
believes will mean keener apprec1a'
tion of and more general recognition
for its good qualities. .