MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



QUICK DRYING ROAD. of Kalamazoo county that it is the sense of result in the construction of 10 or 12 miles of. 



I have always been very interested and ob- the board that all male jail prisoners over 18 road per year for the next three years. 



, years old. capable of performing manual labor, W. W. Mitchell, Cadillac's benefactor and 



servant in the matter of country roads and ^ be ' emp H loye(] in the pre paration or con- Wexford county's philanthropist, stated that 



have read many valuable articles on the sub- st ruction of materials for roads in Kalamazoo he would give $300 for every mile of road built 



ject. But 1 still think there are some points county. This resolution was adopted by un- during the next three years. 



that 1 have not < i touched unon relative animous vote. In order to perfect the details The association elected the following offi- 



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of the provisions of the resolution, a commit- cers: President, D. B. Kelly, of Cadillac; 



to roadmakmg, especially in the hill country {ee composed of Supervisors Ten Busschen, V ice-President, Dr. V. F. Huntley, of Manton; 



along the Mississippi and .Missouri slopes. Eldred and Collins was appointed. The mem- Secretary, Fred H. Meyer, of Manton; Treas- 



The great object of road work should be bers of the board are strongly of the opinion urer, Henry Knowlton, of Cadillac. Executive 



to get the water away as quickly as possible. tha t < iru ks and "hoboes" should hereafter pay committee, the officers and Charles T. Mitchell 



. 11- v, i, for their keeping by work, and thus save to the of Cadillac, K Brehm of Hobart, and A. E. 



s county several thousand dollars annually. Southwick of Sherman. Financial committee, 



hills are of silt formation, and a stream of C. R. Smith and Harry A. Beaver, of Cadillac. 



water crumbles them like so much loaf sugar. SAGINAW ROADS A MODEL. It will be the business of the finance com- 



Many of our experienced roadmakers will That s inaw count y s macadam road sys- mittee to visit the well-to-do and influential 



throw up a hill grade and carry the water . people in Wexford county and secure from 



down each 'side for long distances. Then tern, built under state aid, is attracting outside (^ funds wjth which *, construct roads 



comes a heavy rainfall. Forty thousand rivu- attention is shown by the fact that its high- The construction of the roads means great ad- 



lets from the hillside above pour into the ways are being inspected by a committee of ditional wealth, both to the farmers and the 



drains, and such a volume of water accumu- the Wisconsin legislature, appointed to study merchants of the county. 



lates as to cut deep gorges. These make the r[)ad i, u j](ij, lg j n Michigan, and other states. Following the generous offer of W. W. 



road almost impassable and require several Saginaw county was selected because of the Mitchell to give $300 for every mile of state re- 



days' labor a number of times each year to ex t c nsive use it has made of state appropria- ward road built in Wexford county in the next 



repair. To avoid this trouble the road may t j ons ; n t he improvement of its roads. three years, public spirited citizens have taken 



be sloped from the bank side enough to carry -pj, e comm jttee was warm in its praise of l ' upon themselves to enlist the interest of 



the water directly across the road. Saginaw's roads and approved the Michigan '"ther people in the county to follow Mr. 



When a grade is desired on a side hill road- p ] an o f s t a te award, declaring that when it re- Mitchell's good example. Blanks are now be- 



way, plow in three furrows on the lower side, turns to Wisconsin 'it will draft a bill patterned in g sent about the county seeking the signa- 



the outside furrow to be about twenty feet a ft er the Michigan act and recommending a tures of other men who will agree to give cer- 



from the bank. When grading, draw this loose ] ar g e appropriation to carry on good roads tam amounts for every mile constructed in the 



dirt toward the center of the roadway with h u i] f li n g j n Wisconsin. county during the next three years, provided 



a Mope of about one inch to the foot, carrying that not more than ten miles are constructed 



this slope across the entire grade. The ditch NEW ROADS ASKED FOR ' n anv one y ear - It ' s expected there will be a 



thus made should be opened at short inter- A h c , t townshi (Houghton coun- Senerous amount thus pledged for a good 



vals to let out the water. work. 



After the grading is done headers should W board meeting a petition for a road lead- 



be put in to divert any water that might fol- ing from Ridge street, Swedetown, to section Coorl Roar! Notes 



low the wheel track. To make these headers 39, township 56, and Range 33, was presented 



scrape with the slusher a trench a little di- by farmers living in that district. A similar 



agonally across the grade about two scrapers petition was also presented to the Osceola Deputy State Road Commissioner Rogers 



width and not deep. Deposit this dirt with township authorities. The Calumet township has allowed state reward money to Saginaw 



more from the outside alongside the trench, board now has three petitions on file for new county as follows: East street road, $1,000; 



making the ridge no higher than absolutely roads. These are the petition stated above, Frankenmuth road, $1,750; Bay Street road, 



necessary to accomplish its purpose and not one f ol - a road leading through the Trap Rock $500; Taymouth road, $500; Carrollton road, 



less than ten feet wide, thus causing as little River Valley district, and another on the sec- $ 35 ; total, $4,000. 



obstruction as possible. This plan will always t ion line back of Centennial Heights. It is 



provide a quick-drying hill road. With the believed that next spring work on at least two Townsend A. Ely, state highway commis- 



occasional use of a King drag this can be kept o f the proposed roads will be started. sioner says t hat during the season of 1909, 



twelve miles of state aid road have been built 



Mr. King is an enthusiast on the merits of DELTA'S GREAT ROAD SYSTEM. in Gratiot county. Two miles each in Arcada, 



lightly of any changes At a recent meeting of the Delta county road Pine River, Emerson and Sumner and one each 



that may be made in it, but for the benefit commissio ; es f township roads in North Star, Newark, Bethany and New 



of those not so sanguine I will describe my GS > H tnwnsliiAs 



improvement, to be used more particularly in heretofore under the supervision of the town- _ 



a hill country. ship road officials, were added to the great 



We are all familiar with the construction Delta county road system. This step marks The Hatton town board, Clare county, has 



of Mr King's drag. Now, instead of making the beginning of a definite plan to connect le t a contract to Thos. McGivern to build a 



this drag rigid by tight mortices, tenons, etc., Delta county's remotest points with a network mlle f gravel state award road for $1250, to 



we use two 4x6 crosspieces with 3x6-inch of roads all belonging to the one system. At be completed as the weather may permit. It 



tenons six inches long on each end. The the next meeting of the county road commis- > s understood that the Arthur town board 



shoulders of these tenons are mitered away sioners the second step will be taken, when have virtually decided to build the next mile 



from the center These fit mortices in each preparations will be made to connect several of road north along the town line, W. C. Corn- 



end of the plank. The mortices are mitered roads and to repair poor stretches of county wel1 substantially helping the project. 



from the center to each side. The tenons are thoroughfares. 



. 



. with one-inch hardwood pins outside The three roads added to the county system Deputy State Highway Commissioner Frank 



of the plank, thus allowing the frame to oscil- ar e the Fairbanks county road, the Garden p. Rogers says that while the good roads 



late. The utility of this may be seen when we road and the Nahma county road. The first is movement is popularly believed to be some- 



want to carry the dirt all one way on side composed of a portion of the Poine de Tour wnat behind hand in the upper peninsula, 



hills, etc. We pull through as far as desired, 3 Manistique state roads, running through Houghton county is one of the only three 



then change the team, hitch to the opposite the township of Fairbanks. The second is a above the straits which have not adopted the 



side, turn around and continue moving the portion of the Day s River and Bay de Noc county system. The -other two are Keweenaw 



dirt as before. If properly made, this drag st a te road running through the township of and Mackinac. Ontonagon, Bessemer and 

 will pull in a direct line and do better work. ln e third is another portion of the Schoolcraft counties voted to adopt the good 



When the highway is cut through a hill it -ta through the township of ro ads system last spring, but have not yet had 



is desired to keep reducing the grade. To this Na J?ma. time to put it in practice. Dickinson, Mar- 



end, work the road against one bank, leaving ? oi these roads to the county quette, Delta and Menominee counties now are 



a ditch on one side only. Turn all the water system means that the county system will run operating under the county system, and Mr. 



from above and along the hill into this ditch. lr " lr the southernmost point of Fairbanks Rogers states that exceptionally good work is 



Plow it in repeatedly each season. After the township through Garden, Nahma and Bay de being done there. Barage county has done lit- 



trench has washed too much for safety smooth Noc townships and pass Fairbanks, Garden fie to improve its highways, but it is now on 



this side and change the ditch to the opposite [ Harbor, hayette, Nahma and Isa- the right course, and it -only remains for 



side of the road and repeat. You will be sur- b e lla - J " action the system will now cross Houghton to fall in line to secure good roads 



prised at the change in steepness effected in ' ne - _ clear through to Chicago. 



ten or twelve years. W. S. Wiley in Good ,_,-,___._. - 



Roads Maeazine WEXFORD HAS ROAD ASSOCIATION r , r A1 c n , 



County Road Commissioner Alwood of Clare 



_ n - 737^^ AT ._ . At a meeting of the people interested in the county, has decided to reject all bids for the 



WORK HOBOES ON ROADS. future of Wexford county, and especially in building of a mile of state reward road in 



Acting under the provisions of a statute its good roads, held at Cadillac, a good roads Arthur township. The lowest bid was $2800 



passed by the legislature of : 897, a resolution association was formed and an impetus given The commissioner figures he can do the job 



has been adopted by the board of supervisors the good roads movement which will probably himself at a much lower figure 



