The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-07-24

The average person or writer de-
scribing country does not picture
it so that traveller would recognize
1t when he gets there. Nearly every
person giving a traveller directions
about the road describes 1t so badly
the traveller does not recognize the
landmarks when he arrives, and the
person telling how to go to certain
place invariably finishes with that
old foolish phrase, '-You cant miss
it, when as a matter of fact per
son of average intelligence can't find
it by remembering the directions
given him.
Since people travel so rapidly by
automobile, it makes serious loss
of time to stop where roads cross or
fork, to determine which one to
take, and this has given rise to a
system of markers that can be read
at glance, and up-to-date road
builders are marking the roads so the
traveller going in any direction has
only to watch for certain words,
colors or arrows, to pick his road
definitely while running at full
speed. Three or four years ago, C.
B. Sampson of the Sampson Music
company of Boise got fourteen miles
off his road one day going from En-
NETT to Boise, and in the spirit of
craftsmanship he got can of orange
colored paint and went back over
<bot wood opd rnorLod tho roufo on
he needed only to look for the
orange. At road crossings he went
ahead short distance and painted
a ring on post, pole, rock or some
outstanding object where a driver
could easily see it, and went back
home promising himself that he had
now got even with that stretch Of
highway. Pretty soon he began to
receive the thanks of other travellers
who had always been troubled in
following that route, and it was then,
seeing that he had helped his fell
low citizens, that he conceived the
idea of rendering a great public SER
vice by marking other roads, and now
the Sampson trails, the ring of
orange, leads tourists all over Ida
no and parts of Oregon, Washing
ton and Montana. Log books are
it into their guides and |
On the road the driver gets his cue
when he reads, for instance, on an
object by the roadside, "Missoula
LAG miles. M That tells him that
f he goes on in that direction and
for "M" just beyond the
forks of the road, he will be on the
pest road to Missoula. Further on
+ it says I'M 1876" he knows he is
20 miles closer to Missoula and that
IN the right road.
A short time ago when the Edi-
ors' caravan went thru the Nez
oerce reservation there were some
urns in the road near the Clear
water river where the Sampson trail
vas not plain, and when the caravan
lisbanded at Moscow, Mr.. Sampson
,ot can of orange and a paint brush
md back-tracked some sixty miles to
tut the color ON some rocks and
,osts to make it so he who reads
nay run to destination. Whenever
le is asked how he can afford to
10 so much for public good he re-
ponds with smile and a declara-
ion that that's it; that doing some
hing "for public good" is his re-
7ard and he is happy in knowing that
is help to others. If you look
n pole at a street crossing in your
own and see q ring of orange you
yill know that Mr.. Sampson has been
here. Other systems of marking
re coming into general use, and the
tate has given its highway depart
1ent jurisdiction over all trail
markers. A short time ago 1t was
harged that the highway depart
lent was going to obliterate one of
ne Sampson trails and put on their
wn standard markers and it raised
furore in defense of the work of
his. modern Johnny Appleseed"
Describing a Country
For twenty years writer's and poll
lcians have been describing the
ountry along the proposed North
nd South road. and from none Of
hem did ever get correct pic