Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-10-04
New Askov Bridge and Road
Will Be Dedicated on Oct. Is
The New 27O-Foot Span
Will be the Stage for
the Ceremony.
Many are Expected to Hear
Governor, Road Commits
SiOner and Others.


and different parts of the state will
gather at the new bridge, 215 miles
west of Askov, on Saturday afternoon,
Oct. 13, for the dedication celebration
of the bridge. road, and park, when
Governor Floyd B. Olson will be the
principal speaker. The general pub
lie is invited to this gala day affair
which is expected to draw a crowd
Of over 5000 people.
Other speakers besides the chief
executive of the state who have been
invited to take part are N. w. Els
berg, state highway commissioner,
and L. P. Zimmerman, deputy state
of whom have had much to do with
the new road and bridge and the
park, respectively.
The brass bands from the commun-
tiles of Askov and Sandstone will pro-
vide music to entertain the crowd
and there will be singing by the male
chorus from Askov The program
will be carried out on the bridge with
the aid of a loud speaker so that
those who may not be able to get
close to the speakers will be able to
hear. Even those in the park in their
automobiles will be we'll able to hear
and enjoy the program.
Park AdiOins Bridge.
The village council of Askov which
leased the AZ acres adjoining the new
bridge and alongside of Kettle river,
and has managed the improvement
of that tract of land into a beauty
spot as a park, some time ago Sc
lected a committee to arrange for the
dedication exercises, Svend Petersen
being chairman Of that committee.
He will be the chairman of the day.
1t has been the dream of citizens
in the Askov community, as we'll as
other communities to the north and
east, to some day have a bridge to
span the waters of Kettle river and
thus provide easy access to the pave
ment-trunk highway No. 61-be
tween the Twin Ports and the Twin
Cities. The distance between Askov
and the pavement over the new bridge
is now but Az miles, so the dream
has been realized.
1t was in the Minnesota legisla-
tive session of 1888 when 4,4OO miles
were added to the state trunk road
system and trunk highway No. %
from south of Hinckley, where it joins
the pavement from the southwest,
was extended to Duluth, following the
Great Northern railroad for much of
the distance, that it was made pos
sible to secure the much needed local
improvement.
Built I'm Less Than Year.
Actual work on the project, the
building of the road connecting Askov
with the pavement by the shortest
route. was started last fall by the
contractors, Runquist & Campbell of
Duluth, and the work of building the
bridge was started early this spring
by Contractors Teberg & Berg of st.
Paul. Both road and bridge are now
practically completed, only a few
minor details being left to be fin
ished and SO all will be in readiness for
the big day when folks will turn out
in great numbers to hail this modern
improvement, on Saturday, Oct. 13,
commencing at 2 p. m.
Because the land on the east side
of the river, to the north of the road
and bridge, was a natural beauty spot
with a great variety of virgin timber,
shrubbery and flowers, rock forma-
tions, ETC., the members of the viii
lage council were quick to arrange
for the leasing of this land and de-
veloping it into park. Much of the
work was done through the Federal
Emergency Relief Administration
without expense to the local COM
munity but many persons in the COM
munity have also donated work and
money to the project with no little
credit to themselves.
Park is Popular Place.
Once the park was made accessible
to autoists through the building of
the new road it soon became haven
for those seeking rest and recreation
out close to nature, and many have
been the picnic dinners and parties
in the park during the late Summer
and fall. Pure spring water gushes
forth from beneath the rocks to
quench the thirst of visitors, the lily
pools are inviting in the summer
time, the rock gardens with the many
steps of natural stone invite explora-
tion, and the leaves at this time of
the year cast forth beauty in all
their colOrful splendOr.
The modern bridge-steel and con-
crete-has three spans of 80 feet each.
or a total length of 270 feet. 1t is