The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-08-03
hEIlcOSHE BLACK
Hills HIGHWAY

fE$8$ lAs 11.S8V H1JGOAlD,s HuOilCiGy Hld1idSCIs
FOR the Metigoshe Blackhills Highway
and travelling Secretary of the North
Dakota Good Road Association, has
been in Bottineau for several days
securing advertising for the highway
booklet to be published in the near
future. Special arrangements have
been made to give Bottineau a nice
place in the folder and the business
houses are to be represented with a
full page Of advertising that will be
headed with the Bottineau slogan,
"Bottineau Business Builders" "The
highway is in good shape in most sec
tions but will stand considerable drag
ing between ;Bottineau and Glenburn
in order to make it a good road to
travel" states Mr.. Whitcomb. "There
has been a great deal of travel this
year over the Metigoshe trail as it is
a logical route south through the state
which connects two transcontinental
highways, the. National Parks High
way and the Theodore Roosevelt In.
ternational Highway" *z41 .&s4@ 49,.
The slogan adopted for the "Indian
Traip' is an appropriate one, being the
words Connecting North and South
Dakota Play Grounds" There are
perhaps no two spots more suitable
for connecting highway than Lake
Metigoshe in North Dakota and the
Black Hills in South Dakota. The
southern terminal of the highway is
rich in scents wonders said to rival
that of the rockies, while the north
ern terminus at the lake is equal to
many of the Minnesota lakes in
beauty. This makes a diversity of
scenery that should please even the
most critical" ~ -.
much interest is being shown this
year in the state in the development
of blazed trails that are Registered
recognized highways due to the fact
that they will be taken into the state
and federal highway system under the
new law that is to be presented to the
voters at the November election. The
federal road act signed by President
Harding November ninth last made
possible the building Of seven thou
sand miles of good roads in North
Dakota providing the state is willing
to comply with the few simple re-
quirements. The state of North OAK
ota has been compelled to invest most
of herr in high priced trunk
lines thus leaving the rural district
roads. It is the idea of the
federal government to have all parts
of rural districts adequately served
with roads and to, that end they have
specified in thesnew law that not more
than three -sevenths of the total mile
age may be constructed as trunk line
roads. The balance, four-sevenths,
must be farm to market roads,
"Many states are building roads
under direct real estate taxation which
in this state at this time would be. ex-
tremely unpopular. Bond issues would
no doubt meet the same fate. BY
slightly raising the automobile license
fee the amount of money required can
be easily met. 1t is required by the
that we meet the federal
fund dollar for dollar. There was
made available for good roads in
North Dakota $1,164,000.00 last year.
The state pays in to the government
something over three mil
lions of dollars in federal taxes. Only
nine lone hundreds of one per cent is
to the federal road fund,
the balance being levied from the
more richer state. The foregoing
figures will show that we receive more
than one third back for roads. The
plan being fostered by the North Dak-
ota State Good Roads Association will
make possible the continued accept
ance Of this fund from year to year
without taxation on real estate for the
trunk line system of seven thousand
miles. After that has been completed
we are permitted to take on an addi-
tional seven per cent from time to
time until all Of the roads in the state
become good roads. Incidently the
county commissioners in the various
counties will be relieved of the vast
expense of the trunk lines and can
therefore have funds with which to
build a system of roads ID the county.
Bottmeau County has many thousands
Of dollars tied up IN state and federal
roads all Of which will come back to
the county under the proposed law TO
be spent on other than state and fed
eral aid roads by the county. This
will provide maintenance fund for
at least ten years. AS before stated
the Lake Metigoshe Highway being
a registered highway will come under
this act and is therefore deserving Of
the support Of every community which
it passes because it means one more
trunk line highway completely across
The stafa y states Mr Whifcnr,ah 81 b