The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-12-22
SHOWS OTHERS
MODERN SYSTEM
Tractors Owned by County
Drive Snow Flows to
Open Highways
POINTER FOR STEARNS
Highways and By-Ways
Open for Traffic-Oth-
er Sections Blockaded

Todd county has solved the
problem of keeping its high
ways open in spite of big snow
drifts by utilizing the caterpillar
tractors owned by the county to
operate snow plows.
To the Herald it appears that
Stearns could utilize the tractors
owned by the county very proftab-
ly for the farmers and business
men of old Stearns. The follow
ing story in the Long Prairie
Leader tells what Todd has &C
complisher. 1t is respectfully SUBJ
mitted to the commissioners of
Stearns for their careful consid-
Grafton:
"While the people of neighbor-
ing counties are buried in the snow
drifts, travel at a standstill and
business either suspended or great
ly handicapped, Todd county again
indicates its progressive spirit and
takes its place among the modern
and up-to-date communities of the
state by having its county roads
all plowed out, travel as usual and
conditions normal.
"Last winter the county fathers
took the first steps toward effec-
tive snow removal. A big Wau-
sau plows was purchased for one
of the county caterpillar tractors.
This year another piece of similar
equipment was provided and sched-
ules arranged whereby one pillow
operates in the north half of the
county and the other in the south
half. Each pillow has regular crew
equipment. They are on the job
all the time, ready to begin work
Immediately after Z storm abates.
The tractors are equipped with
electric lights so rney operate day
and night while blowing out the
roads.
Engineer Graves reports to The
Leader that on Tuesday noon every
county road was plowed out and
travel normal. Each tractor trav-
els approximately 140 miles in
blowing out its roads, some of this
mileage provided for back track
ing on certain roads.
"The circumstance that Todd
county is out of the snow so soon
after the big storm, with farmers
driving to creameries in their au-
tomobiles and business generally
as normal as in summer time,
while our neighboring friends in
adjoining counties are buried in
snow, indicates that Todd county
is a progressive county while our
neighbors are still back in the hib-
ernating period when it was con-
sidered the proper thing for all &C
tivities to suspend during the win
ter months and when people, as
we'll as business retired to winter
quarters. .-
owe notice in papers through
out the state that snow plows and
tractors are being purchased here
and there, but many county boards
are turning down the propositions.
"A few years from now everybody
will look back and wonder, as
well as smile at the idea of COM
munities alternating in the winter
dlOIIllo. IL COSLS 1IIllil6IlSeIy less
to keep roads open in winter time
than it does to maintain them in
the summer time. We have sort
of got past the stage of objecting
to road work i'll summer months,
but not all communities have
come to realize the equal import
ance of winter travel. The facts
are that the country generally is
on a motor vehicle basis now. Ev-
en- farmers are poorly equipped
for team travel. In many villages
there is not a horse barn or
team that a doctor or other person
could hire in an emergency. Every
thing is on a motor vehicle basis.
This means that it is merely in the
line of progress to keep roads open
in winter time.
'Todd county, which leads in
many things, has set the pace
among all the counties of Mime
sofa in a regular policy of estab-
fishing winter roads. No county in