CHAPTER XI 



ROADS 



Webster defines a road as " a strip of ground between two 

 points of land, set aside for the passage of vehicles or persons 

 traveling on foot." Roads have always had an important 

 bearing on the destiny of nations, and history frequently 

 refers to conditions made possible or impossible by them. 

 The Roman conquests were first only to Roman road con- 

 struction, for their roads followed the army. It was largely 

 due to the good roads leading from central points, over 

 which the Roman soldiers could rapidly move from 

 one section to another, that Rome held the world in 

 subjugation for centuries. Similar conditions existed in 

 Peru and Mexico. Splendid roads for foot use, probably 

 built for military purposes, were constructed from the 

 seats of power in every direction. These serve to emphasize 

 the fact that transportation is essential and that facilities 

 for easy and rapid movement from one section of the country 

 to another should be provided, if development and growth 

 are to be stimulated. Roosevelt, in an address before a 

 National Highway Commission, said, "A road is an indica- 

 tion of the civilization and intelligence of any people." 



Development. The road problem is not new; neither is 

 it one that is of interest only to civilized man, for we find 

 that the savage tribes as well as animals of the lower orders 

 are prone to move from place to place by the route which 

 offers the least resistance. After having established a 

 route, they continue to use it. The roads across many of 

 the mountain passes or into the deep canyons were first 

 made by mountain sheep or deer. The Indian, on his 

 hunting trips, learned these trails and made use of them in 

 his travels; the trapper packed his furs over them; the 



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