The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-11-04
LOCAL BUSINESS MEN
ARE GOOD Statesmen
ALL INDICATIONS POINT THAT
HIGHWAY NO. a WILL CROSS
SAUK LAKE NARROWS
CONTRACTS LET NOV. 80
ROUTE TO LONG PRAIRIE WILL
BE SHORTENED VERY
MATERIALLY

friday AFTERNOON or last week, DIR.
J. A. Dubois, D. B. Caughren,
George OGara, and Asa NJ Wallace
of the Community Clubs Highway
committee, together with P. B. Han
son, Gunther Hillerud, Howard Bish-
op, S. Schwarzbauer, George Borg
mann, Rev. T. B. Shorts and
H. j. Krolfm of Sank Cen
tire, and representative of the
villages of Little Sank and Round
Prairie and Andrew Hendrickson of
Kandota township, met with High
way Commissioner c.. M. Babcock at
St. Paul to make final stand for
the establishment of Trunk Highway
No. out of Sank Centre north to
Long Prairie.
Herald readers will recall a letter
from Mr.. Babcock received by the
editor and published last week in
which he indicated that the route Sc
lected would leave Sank Centre and
follow Highway No. % northeast
about five miles out of the city and
thence north direct into Long orai-
RE; designated as the east" r:.,.te.
The Community Clubs Highway
Committee knew Mr.. Babcock favor
ed the. "Wlest" route, which would
leave Highway No. % a short distance
ont of the city and cross Sank l AXE
at the Narrows along Sank Lake
and thence on through the villages
of Little Sank and Round Prairie Ills
to Long Prairie.
Chairman Wallace of the Highway
committee arranged for a further
hearing on THE question for Friday
afternoon. The local delegation were
absolutely sold upon the pra :ticabil.
:ty and feasibility of the West
route.
Commissioner Babcock received the
delegation very courteously; he in
formed them that the checking up
of the survey by the departments
engineers would necessitate the TAX
try of the longer route because Ut
the difference in the cost.
The local statesmen pointed out to
Mr.. Babcock the vast superiority of
the "West" route over the EAST" !;
they showed that the purchase of the
waterpower by the city of Sank Ger
tire in anticipation that No. 4 would
cross Sank Lake at the Narrows not
only enhanced the beauty of one
of Minnesota's lakets but that the
improvement was of material value to
the State of Minnesota, as with the
lake kept at high level the, water
works system for the Home School
for Girls could be operated more eff
ficiently and economically; they show
ed that the distance between Sank
Centre and Long Prairie over the
"West" route was 1.3 miles shorter
than any other proposed route and 2.7
miles shorter than the present route !;
they showed that the so-called "East"
route traversed one of the very poor
est and most sparsely settled Sec
lions of Todd county, and that prac-
tically none of the hills with which
the present route is burdened would
be eliminated; it was pointed out that
the "West'' route served a large num-
Der of farmers and brought many of
them three miles and nearer to Sank
Centre. 1t was shown that if the
east route was selected two of
the smaller villages of Todd county
would suffer materially.
Mr.. Babcock has always contended
that one of the main objects of tie
Highway department was to shorten
THE distance between given points and
to eliminate grades and curves, even
though it required the expenditure of
an additional sum of money; this re-
suit could be accomplished if the
"West" route was selected.
The local committee had with them
a resolution passed by the Long
Prairie Community Club in which
they stated they had no objection to
the selection of the "West" route.
The discussion was entirely inform
al and at it's conclusion the Highway
Commissioner informed the delegation
that their arguments had caused him
to see the situation in am enlightened
manner. He thanked them for call
ing the points to his attention, and
promised to have his engineers go
over the matter again very careful
ly and see If it would not be practic-
al from the departments viewpoint to
select the West route, as he person
ally favored it.
Tuesday of this week a detailed
program of bids to be asked for on
Nov. 80 by the Highway department.
involving the expenditure OF over
So, 900, 900 in 1927 was published.
These lettings provide for 30 miles
of additional paving in various sec
tions of the state and many grading
propositions. One of the plans of the
departments is to extend the better
highways into the Lake region of MIN
nesota over Nos. 2 and A north out of
Sank Centre, as follows:
II. III. No. 2+Frazee to Perham,
10. miles, $50, 900 cubic yards exca-
walton; bridge No. 5000, length so
feet. Perham to Bluffton, 1877
miles, 305,000 yards of excavation;
h,.;doae No 4663. length 80 feet, No.