The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-09-14
OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND
SCENIC BEAUTY OF HIGHWAY TRAVEL


The 1888 session. of the Minnesota Legislature
added materially to the mileage to the states trunk
line system.
One of the proposed highways is between
st. Cloud and Champlain, following very closely the
west side of the Mississippi river which, when com
peted would make drive of scenic beauty and also
greatly enhance the safety of the travelling public
as it would padalet Highway No. 3 on the east side
of the river
The traffic over No. 3 between the Twin Cities
and st. Cloud is very heavy, and with the increas
ing number of over loaded trucks private and public
iy owned, the modest private auto owner, keeping
the idea of safety in mind is continuously jeopardizet
as to safety of life and damage to his car when he
enters this strip of 1S-foot pavement No.
The Herald believes Highway Commissioner
Elsberg has desire to serve the people of the state
to the best of his ability.
The Herald also believes that the intent OF
trunk highway system in the first place was for the
and benefit of the private citizen rather than Il
be taken possession of by monsters laden with live
stock and merchandise, ever increasing in length
and breadth.
Alvah Eastman, the very able editor of the st
Cloud Times discusses the situation and conditions
in his usual brisk manner in the Times of Monday
evening. He said, in part:
On the east side is highway No. 3, 10 feet
wide that on most days is crowded with auto
mobiles, trucks and buses. The number of
accidents and deaths is really appalling On
week ends and holidays it is really danger
Gus experiment to drive this highway.
Building a paved highway the west side
of the river will eliminate to great extent
the danger, if it is made exclusive automo-
bile highway, as Is proposed by the highway
commissioner
Limited to automobiles it should follow the
Mississippi as close as practical, and make it
truly scenic highway. The scenery beauty
is there. Being automobile road, much
money in the building can be saved by follow
ing the contour of the land. The low hills
and pleasant valleys would make an ideal
scenic highway.
This is of no more interest to st. Cloud than
for three four hundred cities and villages
whose
through this city their way to the Twin
Cities, or elsewhere to the east and southl
1t is just important to the people of Sank
Centre, Alexandria, Fergus Falls, Moorhead,
Little Falls, Brainerd, Wadena, Park Rapids,
Bemidji, Crookston Osakis and intervening
towns it is to st. Cloud. They all want
safe and pleasant highway By keeping the
trucks off this stretch of some fifty miles, it
will very materially reduce the deaths and
accidents. Human life still has it's value.
1T is also of just as much of necessity to
those of the east and the southeast who travel
to the north and northwest. In fact, it
means safety to every person in all sections of
the state, Wisconsin and Iowa who visit this
section of the country, including the thous-
ands of North Dakotans who journey this
way.
Take look at the map of Minnesota and
count the counties and towns north and west
of this city, that is the gateway for this i'm
mense stream of travel Their safety and
pleasure is vastly more important than of
few towns between ST. Cloud and Chaplin,
who want this highway strung outside the
natural logical course, for their imaginary
benefit Logically the highway will be
through Clearwater, Monticello and Dayton,
all on the Mississippi and it should be Mis-
Sissippi scenic road
The kind of highway have in mind is
from Champlin to Dayton, well built and
maintained by Hennepin county, and it is one
of the most delightful roads in Minnesota
1t could be made equally attractive all the
way to st. Cloud
The first thing to be done is to make sur
vey and that should be practical.
It is of the first additions that should
be taken over by the highway commission,
because it is of tremendous Importance to
the whole travelling public.
1t should be made safe and beautiful au-
tomobie highway. and free from deep bitches,
and with no necessity for costly grades.
Commissioner Elsberg wants to best serve
all the people, and to provide safety and at
trahtive highways for them. Here's his OPP
portunity.