The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-07-13
Commissioners and
Engineer Report
Continued from page one

more Qlrect route. IL was also ue-
sirable to have it for the benefit of
the stockmen who wanted to buy
supplies in Blackfoot, and so the
sheepmen could haul their wool tol
Blackfoot for shipment. The road
to the foothills was graded and
crowned with clay few years ago,
but the clay kept grinding to dust
and blowing away and at times the
road was impossible for loads. Last
summer and fall it was badly broken
and we had a flood of complaints
about it. On one occasion when the
board members went out to look 1t
over, we found seven loaded wagons
broken down and left in the road.
The tongue, the hounds and the
reach or the wheels seemed to suffer
the most, due to deep holes which
the wheels get into. We also found
broken automobiles besides loads OF
wool and wheat and we learned OF
$4,000 bushels of wheat raised by q
few settlers, that had to be brought
out over that road if it was mar
keted at all. In order to get quick
relief for these citizens and tax
payers we expended about $500 put
ting straw on the road, and began
an investigation to see if we could
get the federal government to aid in
putting this road in condition across
the broken part that lay on the
reservation. These negotiations re-
uuired so much time that we found
ourselves at the opening Of spring
/, without anything definite decided
upon, and we had to choose between
doing something at county expense
right away while the materials were
damp or leaving it indefinitely and
again inviting disaster to the stock
men and farmers. The federal gov
eminent is being asked thru the
proper source, to aid in road work,
| but it will take time to get the
| recommendation for an allowance of
$4,000 for further road work, but 1t
cannot be applied on what is done
this year.
Many Demands on Fund
There were many pressing de-
mands upon the road fund-the
people of Shelley had an uncom-
! pleted highway built in from
Goshen and Presto, as far as the
sugar factory near the edge of the
Shelley townsite, and the bond
money was exhausted before connec-
lions could be made with town. AT
times when it is very wet or very
dry, that broken link in the system
was deep dust and chucks or sea OF
lolipop that even herds of cattle
could hardly get thru. People COM
planned that they could not get to
Shelley with loads and had to take
them to Firth.
The people of Firth complained
that the bond road from Goshen was
completed to within mile or so OF
! their town and left with broken
link when the money gave out, and
they had to load light or double
teams or go to Blackfoot. They also
complained that the bridge over the
Blackfoot river at Presto was not
completed and that it was keeping
trade away from their town, and
making it necessary for settlers to
20 a long road to Blackfoot via the
lower bridge or leave their produce
on the farm.
The commercial club of Blackfoot
was complaining that since district
No. 2 (Blackfoot) pays 4S per cent
of the taxes it ought not to be left
with so little road work done in and
around the center of population and
taxable property and heavy traffic
and they demanded that they be
given their turn and be allowed ar
extension of hard road to connect
with the pavement at the sugar
factory to make it easy for people
to get to Blackfoot to trade instead
of going to Idaho Falls via the new
paving the north.
The people of Riverside have
broken link of bond road that moth
| ing has been done on, and River
side did us the courtesy to keel
tolerably still and wait.
| People down along the Roosevelt
highway insisted that the roat
needed dragging, but we had NJ
money to meet their demands, ant
people did not get along harmoni
ously when leading spirits tried t
get them dragged by donation.
The travelling public kept report
ing that the worst road on the Vel
lowstone highway was betwee
Blackfoot and Fl. Hall paving, an
3 Firth insisted that it lay just out
/. side of Firth. People in the easter
. part of the county complained tina
some of the roads were not built o
the right lines and fences were Gu
and travel went thru the fields an
] the sheep combed much of the1
J. wool off going thru and under eros
fences and that there was gres
need of stockman's highway ths
could be travelled at any time r.
4 CARELESS of sonw banks that Taste
J. late in spring.
Ell Floods Make Trouble
= While all these things were undo
a consideration, the high water mac
! it necessary to expend about $500
!, on the Tilden bridge to protect
!, and q much larger sum on tt
- Woodville bridge to keep 1t fro
a going out.
In the case Of the Presto bridi
over the Blackfoot, we built abu
ments last fall and completed tt
bridge this spring.
r. Firth Man Complains
II In the case OF the Yellowstol