The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-01-21
ROADWAY QU|TELENGTHY
RUNS FROM BAY AT NORTH
TO GULF ON SOUTH
Original Meeting to Promote
Enterprise Was Held In Man.
kato; Great Work That Has
Been Accomplished BY Live
And Public Spirited Men


And Public Spirited Men
The location of the Perishing Way
a task behind which Mankato put it.
self squarely a little less than two
years ago is complete, as announced
from headquarters here.
A two thousand mile line has Deen
Drawn down the map OF the middle
west connecting $50 towns, running
through two countries, crossing six
ty-eight counties, parishes and prov
1nces and five states.
1t is an example OF what faith,
good judgment and strong deter
mination can do, tor when the Man
kato Commercial club took up the
idea a year ago last February, the
Pershing way was merely a dream,
a suggestion such as more than a
hundred other similar schemes were.
But now it stands out as an organi-
cation unsurpassed in the middle
west. and one that has attracted the
attention Of highway and road work
ers the country over. The first meet
ing to give the Pershing Way its
impetus was held in Mankato.
Then came the general meeting 1T
Mason City April IL, which was an
exciting occasion.
Most Able Directorate
These men deserve recording here.
They were G. II. Draper OF Wells,
Mimi, banker, farmer and man OF
wide outside interests, treasurer OF
the Minnesota Bankers association
and at various times members Of
other state boards; e. c. Strander Of
Crookston Mimi, head of an abstract
hof 10
all over that part OF the country, and
a man whose opinion is sought after
much; j. Q. Lauer of Waverly, Iowa
who has made the Waverly District
lair distinct success; P. e. Rude of
Cedar Rapids, member OF a business
with branches in six Iowa towns, and
HerDelt +. McDOuoai v. Eeua. \ a.4..
then the secretary OF the Commercial
Club.
To these were added at the first
netting, A. M. Scnanke, of Mason
City, head of twelve banks, and an
investment company with extended
interests, and Wtose counsel has
added much to tne strength of the
organization. Later, with the organ
1Zatlon OF the Louisiana division, A
w. Van Pelt, now head of bureau
OF the Association OF Commerce Of
New Orleans, became a director, and
with the organization of the Arkansas
division, j. Gilbert Leigh, head OF the
Arkansas good roads bureau, became
the director for the state.
McDougaI's Big Task
Laying down the fundamental prin-
cipleS OF highway organization, the
board employed McDougal as gen
eral manager and set him at the task
OF solidifying The organization al
ready formed and seIecting the route
and organizing the communities on
into New Orleans. This task has re-
quired $4,000 miles of travel by auto
and train through all kinds of wealth
er and among a varying country and
people of a most interesting diversity
OF temperament, from the Cajans Of
southern louisiana, the bill billies
OF northern Louisiana and Arkansas,
the mountaineers of the Ozarks, the
mixed population of Iowa, and the
ScandinaVians of Minnesota to the
French Of Southern Canada and the
English Of Winnipeg
The fact that all of these people
have caught the vision of the enter
prise and have entered into it with
enthusiasm, speaks well for the basic
idea. They have Joined it with a
unanimity of purpose and spirit
Of cooperation that in itself is a great
result. The psychological highway"
It,. otu sou.ncrner put 1t, is worth
all the effort that has been put forth.
But the physical highway already is
appearing. Bonds are being voted
shing Way counties in Louisiana, in
one instance a special issue was car
ried for 100000 for the specific
purpose of building the Pershing
Highway" in the parish of ST. Landry
and which will carry the road for
forty miles, part of it through a
swamp that has been a balk to pro-
gress all through the history of the
state.
Fight For Pershing Way
In Missouri $60,000,00O in road
bonds were voted at the last general
e4uc..oA and the tact that one plan
proposed for expanding the money
did not take into due consideration
the Pershing Way, was declared by
the resolution of one club, Ito con-
stitute a breach of faith so glazing
that it would make Impossible the
passage of public Improvement acts
for years to come"
Minnesota last November voted
$100, 100000 for roads, and the Per-
shing Way is located almost the en-
tire length of the state on roads that
will be improved by this money.
The log of distance shows the
highway to be Plata miles long, al
tho careful log may correct this,
Arkansas in reporting distance call
ing attention to the fact that the
pioneers in that state in measuring
distances used a coonskin and threw
in the taiP'. The Canadian division
is 69.8 miles long, the distance thru
Minnesota is 1894 miles through
Iowa 301.8 miles: Missouri 372.7
Arkansas 354.6 and Louisiana 479.1
miles.
Beauties Are Many
The highway is perhaps the best
laid out of any in the country as
regards its varied interests. 1t runs
from Old Fort Garry, the Hudson's
Bay company trading fort, now Win
nipeg, down the Red River of the
North Valley, through the Minnesota
lake region over most delightful
section of Iowa, through the unspoil-
ed and most beautiful part of the
Ozarks, the hill country of Arkansas
and Louisiana, through the mangan-
csc and bauxite districts of Arkansas
and the lumber and oil district Of
that state and LOUISIANA, and then
for 200 miles through the Evangeline
country of Southern Louisiana where
the descendants of those driven out
of Nova Scotia in 1857 still keep alive
the language and customs of their
ancestors and even the negroes SPEAK
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