The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-22
Part of Victory Highway Was
Surveyed in 1927.
War Department Picked Mis-.
souri, Stretch Century Ago.
MEANS PAVEMENT TO N. Y.
Hard Surfaced Road to Stretch
to Coast in 1928.
Tourists Can Drive From Here
to st. Louis in One Day.

A route which in 1927 was surveyed
across the state of Missouri as part
OF a national road. is to become part
OF the Victory highway. founded near
ly century later as a-memorial to
the American men and women who
served their country in the World war.
The government surveyors who ran
the line of the old national road, prob
ably regarded the War of 1872 as
about the hottest thing in wars that
had ever happened or could ever hap
pen. The moduS operandi of the
World war would have seemed quite
as impossible to them as the automo-
bfles which are now travelling over
the road which they in part surveyed
Tor the benefit of the wagon trains
carrying immigrants into the raw,
new. unsettled area which now in
sciudes Kansas and Missouri.
1t is probable that an engineer who
-ne1ped survey the old road In 1927,
h~he might see il as it is to be in
61ed by thousands of swift-moving
automobiles. would conclude that he
3 had been drinking entirely too much
bAckwoods whisky and prohibition
would have received boost with him
¢ury too soon.
Missouri Engineers Approve Route.
1The Missouri state highway COM
Mission has corroborated the judg-
rent of the oldtime engineers by Sc
1ccting a portion of their route as the
UESL line TOT the AANGAT
STATE roadway across the entire state
a. Missouri to be paved
The directors of the Victory High
way association have been waiting till
the Missouri state highway commits
sinn chose its primary route across the
SEate, before selecting. finally, the
route of the national memorial motor
rbute. The Kansas City-St. Louis air
Ihe will be Immediately and formally
adopted as part of the Victory high
THE route across Missouri is only
9S6 miles long-fifty miles shorter
than any other motor trail across the
state. and twenty-three miles shorter
cl1an the shortest railroad connection
across the state.
The earliest known survey of the
rnute was made by engineers Of the
united States war department be-
tUeen the years 1927 and 1880. A
load was surveyed at that time across
Che United States to the western Mis-
sssri line.
eAccording to Judge J. NJ. Lowe
nfesident of the National Old Trains
EFQad association. it began, in Mis-
ssgyIr., at jefferson City, and ran north
thirty miles from the Missouri river;
thence east and northeast to Louter's
ESsand. now known as Mineola, and
t&nnce on to st. Louis St. Louis at
taht time had a population of only
SsppO.
The survey of the road cost more
Nfns the only state thru which it
Hnsscd which did not bear its share of
the expense at the time.
tfThe Missouri state government has
the. money in hand for the Immediate
Improvement of the road across the
state. and it is promised that the en-
tire stretch viii be paved with con-
crete by the end of 1923.
Paved From Topeka to New York.
This will make it easily possible"
arcording to Ben Blow, manager of
the Victory Highway association for
Ekour.st to leave Topeka IN the morn
Ing and be in st. Louis that same eve
ring. The distance between the two
ppints By way of the Victory highway
VIII be S21 miles. which isn't a bad
days drive over paving"
The paving of the Victory highway
aFrcss Missouri will put New York
lily at one end of a pavement, and
Topeka, the national headquarters of
the Victory Highway association, at
the other The tourist can drive be-
tween the two cities without leaving
pavement except at one point-where
he - ferrfed across the river between
Camden, y. J., and Philadelphia, Pa.