MICHIGAN 



BMDS ^FORESTS 



DETROIT, MICH., JUNE, 1910. 



Michigan State Good Roads Association 



?. T. COLGROVE, Hastings, President. N. P. HULL, Diamondale, Vice-President. 



THON/IAQ <? 



1 S. EARLE, Detroit. 



THOMAS SATTLER, Jackson, Secretary and Treasurer. 

 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

 P. T. COLGROVE, Hastings. 



W. W. TODD, Jackson. 



MICHIGAN SHOULD DEMAND BETTER 

 ROADS. 



"With Michigan the automobile center of 

 tie world, there should be a greater demand 

 'br good roads in this state than in any ether 

 art of the country: yet this is a point on 

 hich the entii'e state is far behind the ma- 

 >rity of the middle western states," says Ly- 

 us Wolcott, of the Genesee county board of 

 Tad commissii ners. "The commissioners of 

 unty feel that if they could get some 

 f the automobile manufacturers to take a 

 reater part in the campaign for good roads, 

 would be a matter of a very short time 

 pfore Michigan would rank as well as any 

 I" the states in this matter." 

 Mr. \Y' Icott, together with George H. Sel- 

 rs. of Flint township, and Wilbur Becker, 

 t" Fenton, the other members of the county 

 lard, has just returned from a trip through 

 nrion county, O., where the commissioners 

 cut to inspect the system in effect there, with 

 view t" adopting some (f the methods here. 

 "Out of 1.100 miles of public highways in 

 iarion county," says Mr. Wolcott. "there are 

 itween liOO and 700 miles of macadam road, 

 id, in the township of Greencamp there is 

 it a single mile and a half that is not ma- 

 'idam. The reason that their roads are so 

 uch better than ours is because the law 

 ere is different. Whenever 10 freeht Iders 

 |i any road there petition the board to have 

 eir road macadamized and submit the pro- 

 es. the board goes ahead and builds the road. 

 "The entire expense is borne by the prop- 

 ty holders along the right of way. but once 

 lilt the maintenance falls entirely on the 

 unty. But the fact that the reck necessary 

 the construction is always to be had along 

 e right of way makes the expense of road 

 ilding there much less than it is here." 

 Grant Dunning has surveyed the line of the 

 ; oposed state reward road, in Livingston 

 ' unty, commencing at the top of the hill just 

 rth of Hutchings mill and running north 

 o miles to the Staley corners on the road 

 im Howell to Oak Grove. At no place will 

 ere be a grade of over four per cent. In 

 ndy places a foundation of clay will be made, 

 icre clay can be secured readily. The high- 

 iy commissioner, John Lockwood is in 

 arge. 



INTERESTING ROAD FIGURES. 



County Surveyor Wm. H. Trussell of Isa- 

 Mla county, has prepared figures showing the 

 rst of improving the highways in every town- 

 sip in the county. He figures that there arn 

 rout 82 miles of road in each township, which 

 culd be graded and graveled for a little more 

 tjin $1,000 a mile. With the state reward 

 $500 per mile the farmers would only be 

 led upon to pay a tax of 24 cents per acre 



per year for five years and the trick would 

 be turned. 



To illustrate his point he says: 



In Verncn township the road repair fund in 

 190V) was $2.25 on a forty acres Highway im- 

 provement fund, $2,67, a total road fund 

 amounting to $4.92 on each forty acres. Pre- 

 suming the average of money expended on 

 highway to be $3 per 40 acres, then each forty 

 acres in Vernon township has expended on 

 the public road's in said township for the past 

 30 years, $90.09. Each section of land has 

 paid on roads within the limit of the town- 

 ship $1,440.00 or $51,840.00 in the township. 

 And the township can boast of but two miles 

 of decently good roads. 



Fact No. 2: In Isabella township, sections 

 11 and 23, repair fund $2.25. and $3.75 high- 

 way improvement fund, a total of $6 per for- 

 ty acres, 1909 tax. Forty acres paid $96 a 

 section, paying in $1,526 in 30 years. The 

 trwnship paying in cash money $55,296.00 on 

 the public roads of Isabella township. Their 

 good roads are counted in miles by the fing- 

 ers of a man's hand. 



Fact Xo. 3: In Union township, highway 

 improvement fund, averaged $6.89 per year for 

 40 years, amounting to $275.60 per 40 acres; 

 a total cf $4.409.60 per section and for the 

 township of Union $158,745.60. And you can 

 count on your fingers all of the good roads 

 in Union township. 



It is fair to say that enough money has been 

 expended on the state road between Mt. Pleas- 

 ant and Clare to build two grand, good stone 

 macadam roads, with 24 foot roadway: and 1 

 know and you know that no worse road can 

 be found in the county of Isabella than lies 

 for a distance of two miles south of Rosebush, 

 and there are forty-nine layers of poor roads, 

 one on top of the other. 



The children of Israel under Moses were 

 lost in the wilderness for forty years. The 

 people of Isabella county are worse off than 

 they were, for they had a roadmaker with 

 them. Then they came to a swamp or pond 

 the engineer shook a stick, a big stick, and 

 the mud and water piled upon each side, so 

 they had dry footing. This county needs a 

 road builder, and needs him badly. 



CEMENT PAVEMENT A SUCCESS. 



Four blocks of cement pavement were laid 

 on Chisholm street, Alpena, last year. The 

 work was done by Alpena people, the cement 

 was made in Alpena, from Alpena materials. 

 The gravel, the sand, the labor and everything 

 connfted with the work, with the exception 

 of the stamp sand used in the surface of the 

 pavement, was home product. Even the mix- 

 ing machines were made in Alpena. 



As a result Alpena today claims the finest 

 four blocks of pavement in America. It win- 



tered in fine shape, and it has every indication 

 of being as permanent a pavement as it is 

 possible to construct. Those having a techni- 

 cal knowledge of cement construction are 

 very sanguine and confident of its durability. 



As an investment, it is the most economical 

 permanent improvement ever made in Alpena. 

 And, as an advertising asset to the city, its 

 value cannot be estimated in dollars and cents. 



TUSCOLA COUNTY. 



The township of Vassar, Tuscola county, 

 has purchased two acres of first class gravel 

 and proposes to have some of the best roads 

 in the county. The pit is very accessible. A 

 drawback to good roads in Vassar township 

 heretofore has been the inability to secure the 

 proper grade of gravel. 



Several years ago the road leading from 

 Caro to Kurd's Corners, Tuscola, was grav- 

 eled the expense being borne by private sub- 

 scription and it has been a delight to drive 

 over. During the past two years, however, 

 heavy traffic has put it in bad shape and in 

 order to save even a part of the old work it 

 must be repaired this summer. Economy _of 

 good roads can only be obtained by maintain- 

 ing them in good condition and not allowing 

 them to become bad roads. 



Unionville. Tuscola county, is trying the 

 experiment of oiling her streets. 



A. T. Overman has been awarded the con- 

 tract for building the two miles of state road 

 in F.lkland township, Tuscola. for $3,970. Mr. 

 Overman has started work on the first mile, 

 east of Cass City. Highway Commissioner 

 Koepfgen has served notice on Mr._ Mclntyre, 

 the contractor on the state road job of last 

 year, to complete the job at once. 



MARQUETTE COUNTY. 



Marquette county road work is well under 

 way. The commission's principal work and 

 largest outlay the present season will be on 

 the road through the township of Chocolay. 

 undertaken last year, but pursued with little 

 success as far as actual road building went. 

 because of constant breakdowns at the crusher 

 plant. It is the expectation! of the commis- 

 sion to complete a macadam highway as far as 

 the foot of the Greengarden, or Kabawgam, 

 hill this season. If this is done a macadam 

 road of over four miles 1 in length will have re- 

 placed one of the worst sand roads to be 

 found in Marquette county, for the stretch be- 

 tween Silver Creek and Greengarden hill has 

 been the bugbear of farmers. The sand has 

 been heavy the entire distance, and in the dry 

 season it has been impossible to haul anything 

 but the lightest loads over it. Beyond Green- 

 garden the highway is much better, as the soil 

 becomes heavier. 



