The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-02-12
The SCENIC HICHW AY
County Board Will, if Possible, Com
plete Highway From Onamia
to Crow Wing Line.
Highway Commissioner Babcock AT
tends Board Meeting and Ex-
plains the Project.

ious affair and brought out a large
delegation from almost every part of
the county. Highway Commissioner
c. M. Babcock was present, having
driven 20 miles from Elk River to
Princeton in a sleigh in order to keep
his appointment with the board.
Princeton, Milaca, and in fact the
whole south end and center of the
county, was we'll represented at the
On account of bad roads and
the distance, the lake country was not
able to get many down but it had al
ready sent big delegation down be-
fore the board at the January 6 reg
ular meeting and there was no ques-
ton as to how the lake country and 9Th
commissioner district stood on the pro-
posed extension Of the Scenic highway
from Onamia village to the Grow Wing
county line. The commercial club of
Onamia sent down a committee of
three to REPRESENT Qnamia village and
vicinity and they urged the board to
do it's utmost to go on with this pro-
posed extension. Unfortunately, Peter
Sehlin, commissioner of the 5th dis
trict, was unable to attend the meet
ing owing to a regular epidemic Of
flu in his home town, neighborhood
and family. At Mr.. Seh1in's request,
County Attorney Doane took up the
cause Of the lake country in this mat,
ter and ably and intelligently ex-
planned why, from the viewpoint of the
9TH district, this 18 miles of road in
this district should be built as origi-
nally promised and finished this year
If such thing is physically possible.
The plans and specifications for this
proposed extension are practically
finished at the present time, and it was
explained to the board by Mr.. Babcock
that there was no reason why this
project couldn't be ready for advertis-
ing for bids and letting of the contract
early this spring, so that this work
could be pushed through to completion
by the end of the road building season
of 1920. The present estimated cost
|pf this extension, as submitted by the
state highway depa5 tment is approx
[mately $4,000. One-half of this
amount would come eventually from
the United States road funds, and by
completing this connecting link in the
Scenic highway it will be possible for
this county to get an additional S34 ,OOn
from the state and federal authorities
on the original project, which other
wise it would not get were it left
incomplete. This leaves only bal
ance Of $31, 900 for the county to put
up in order to push this Job through
to the finish "a little over the actual
selling price of a frst.class Mile Laos
county farm Of 100 acres.
After all present had had fair and
equal chance Of expressing their
views on the subject, the board took
the matter under consideration official
~, and at once unanimously resolved
that it was the intention of the board
to complete the Scenic highway from
Onamia village to the Grow Wing
county line and to do it in 1920, if pos
sible.
1t appears to us that the board has
done the wise thing in this matter and
deserves considerable credit for its de-
termination to push this whole project
through to it's ultimate completion, re-
CARELESS Of the disappointments and
discouraging. incidents which cropped
out in the building of the first forty
miles. The lake country can now rest
assured that they will soon have
good, hard surfaced road right through
the center of the 9Th district and for
Il or Is miles along the shore of Mile
Laos lake, the finest summer resort
that we know Of in Minnesota. Then
there should be concentrated effort
made to put the lake road on the east
side Of the lake, through Cove, Wah-
kon, Isle and Opstead, in good shape
and hard surfaced. This would then
give the county good, hard-surfaced
road around practically its half of the
whole shore line of the big lake, and
the lake country would then have its
house in order and be ready to receive
company in the most approved form
that is, good roads for good tourists.
Incidentally it will be good thing for
The whole county, for if there is a
family in Mile Laos county that has
never had the pleasure and enjoyment
# spending. a day at beautiful Mile
Laos lake, they owe it to themselves,
md their county to pile into their auto,
whether it be n iitnev mr. a Packard L,