Renville County, Minnesota - Chapter 35: Good Roads, 1916

Trophies Won - Grading and Ditching - Mileage - Expenses - Levies - Increase in Importance - State Roads - interstate Routes - Advantages - By William A. Schummers.

The year 1910 marked the rather unexpected winning of two good roads trophies in competition with a large number of other counties of the state. The first of these is a large and handsome silver loving cup, kept in the county auditor's office at Olivia, and presented to the county by Louis W. Hill for the best county road on the M. S. A. A. Reliability Run from St. Paul to Sioux Falls, held -Inly 22-26 of that year.

The second trophy, a beautiful French bronze statue on a base of onyx, seven feet in height, and valued at $1,500, was awarded to the county as having the best roads on the Tribune Reliability Run held in October. While in the possession of the county, this statue with its appropriate and significant inscription, "On the field of labor, Victory is fruitful," was kept at the courthouse. The figure is that of victorious Labor gathering the sheaves of success, in speaking of the contest, the Minneapolis "Tribune" said:

"That this signal honor should go to Renville county was not unexpected. For weeks automobile men of that county, headed by M. J. Dowling, have been carrying on an active campaign and have had men and teams at work dragging the soil. In contrast to various other counties the stretch of 55 miles within the boundaries of Renville showed that much effort had been put into the work. In all, nine counties were open to competition. While the roads in Renville have been little improved, that is, gravelled, yet they show to a marked degree what can be accomplished by intelligent work under existing local conditions. Here the roads for the distance of 55 miles had been dragged by an ordinary king road drag which can be built at small expense. These drags have been used extensively and have put the roads of Renville in excellent condition. The ditches have been kept open, drainage has been provided for, and the surface dragged smooth. It was a great pleasure to ride over them. With gravel surface and maintained in their present condition they present an ideal country road for travel at all seasons and weather."

A glance at a road map will show that Renville county is well supplied witli roads, the total amounting to 1,648 miles. Of these 480 miles are improved roads (Jan. 1, 1915) ; about 1,448 miles are township or judicial roads and over 200 are designated as state roads. State roads are under the immediate supervision of the State Highway Commission and when completed will be fully graded, drained, and gravelled. They aim to connect all the objective points in the county and nearby counties.

The work done involves an immense amount of labor and considerable expense ; just how much money and labor it is impossible to say. The amount levied for the County Road and Bridge Fund for 1915 is $24,355.82. The work in the county is under the supervision of the district engineer, Frank M. Shephard, who is employed by the Commission for one-half the year and acts as Construction Superintendent for the county during the remainder of the time. His report shows that four and a half acres were cleared and grubbed in 1914 ; one mile of ditching was done ; 39.5 miles of road was graded; six culverts installed, and about thirteen miles of gravelling done ; all at a cost of $28,882. Out of this, $22,7S2 of construction cost was entitled to and received state aid under the Dunn law for the amount of $12,800. Likewise, $2,867 was received from the state to apply on the maintenace cost of 175 miles of road amounting to $4,788. The letting of contracts for all work done is increasing in favor over the day system of labor, especially for the larger jobs.

The first step towards building a permanent road is a system of permanent drainage. Tile drainage is apt to prove most satisfactory. The chief difficulty lies in securing a proper outlet.

Next to drainage comes grading. Some roads are too wide. The narrower the roadway, the needs of traffic and the passing of vehicles provided for, the easier to keep the road from soaking full of water. The surface must be rounded sufficiently to shed water. Ruts must be filled as fast as formed. An ounce of gravel by way of prevention is better than a pound of cure thrown into a later mudhole. Dragging regularly a short while after rains has given us tin- best roads in the county, excepting gravelled roads.

The latter are the ideal country roads. Clay and gravel pack together well and form an excellent surface. They will bear heavy traffic if the crust of clay and gravel is of sufficient thickness. Comparatively little gravelling was done during 1914, the available funds having been used mainly for the grading up of a large number of bad pieces of road; a great amount of this work is planned on for the near future. Gravel pits are so distributed that the average haul for state work is about four miles. The county owns one gravel pit, north of Olivia, and gravel can be bought from private owners for from ten to twenty-five cents the load. The county has a set of graders, scrapers, and Kins drags, numbering about one hundred pieces in all.

The sentiment for good roads over the county is very strong and is increasing as the road work advances. The general cry is for permanent roads which will stand up regardless of weather conditions. The total annual expenditures for roads and bridges during the last six years afford an intelligent index : 1909, $2,784.90; 1910, $6,416.35; 1911, $16,501.62; 1912. $23,686.46; 1913, $25,879.76; 1914, $53,193.55. With the abundance of gravel in the county and the increasing appreciation of good roads brought on by the more increased use of the automobile, the day cannot be far distant when the main thoroughfares will resemble city boulevards.

Perhaps no class of people is more interested in the matter of good roads than farmers. Located in the central part of the state and at an average distance of only 100 miles from important markets, good roads become a necessity if farm products are to be marketed at opportune times and with the lowest expense. The farmer's haul the country over is about nine miles. The average cost of hauling farm produce to market is $2.09 per ton. or about 23 cents per ton per mile, figuring in the cost of men and teams and wear of vehicles. This is three times the cost along European roads. Railroads hauled fourth class freight at an average of one cent per ton per mile. With better roads the local expense of marketing should be cut in two.

There are fifteen roads in Renville County designated as state roads, with a total length of 203 miles, not including about 14 miles of roads lyin<r within corporation limits. Road No. 1 runs north and south through Morton and Olivia to the county limits. It is gravelled almost the entire twenty and one half miles and in some respects is probably the most important road in the county. Number 2 runs from the west county line to Hector, passing through five villages on the way ; length, 37 miles. Number 3 runs from the south county line through Fairfax, Hector and Buffalo Lake towards Hutchinson, its length being 30 miles. Number 4 runs through Morton, Franklin and Fairfax : length, 14.5 miles. It is gravelled between the last named towns and this part is exceptionally flue. Number 5 runs from Franklin northward through Bird Island to the county line with a length of 22 miles. Number 6 extends from a point IV2 miles south of Buffalo Lake southward to the county line ; length, 2 miles. Number 7 is a half-mile stretch in the southeastern corner of Preston Lake on the "Yellow Trail.'" Number 8 is 13% miles long, running north and south to the county lines and through the village of Sacred Heart. Number 9 runs from Hector to the north county line, length. 9.5 miles. Number 10 runs north from about the center of Boon Lake to county line towards Hutchinson and is 3 miles long. Number 11 is 3 miles long, from state road Number 4, 2 miles east of Franklin, south to the Minnesota river. Number 12 is seven miles long, running from Danube to the north county line. Number 13 is 15 miles long, running from Danube south to county line. Number 14 is 17 miles long; runs from north to south county lines through Renville. Number 15 is 8.5 miles long, running from state road Number 5 to state road Number 3 through Eddsville. These state roads are so laid out that they take care of all the principal lines of travel to and from the various villages in this and adjoining counties, there being one eastand-west and one north-and-south state road through each village in the county.

There are three inter-state roads crossing the county, the principal one of which is the Yellowstone Park Trail which crosses the county from east to west, passing through Buffalo Lake, Hector, Bird Island, Olivia, Danube, Renville and Sacred Heart. This trail originates in Chicago and runs west through Yellowstone Park to Seattle and the Pacific Coast. The road next in importance is state road Number 1. running north and south across the county through Morton and Olivia. This road is the main traveled road from the central and western parts of Iowa to the central and northern parts of Minnesota. As affecting real estate. values this road is probably the most important in the county; it is graded in good shape and is a good token to the landseekers from Iowa as to the prosperity of the county. Because farm products can be hauled to market over this road under all conditions of weather, it has led to many real estate transactions and has helped boost the price of neighboring land. The other important cross-country trail, known as the "Black and Yellow," runs east and west across the southern part of the county, through Fairfax, Franklin and Morton. This is one of the main trails from the Twin Cities to Southwestern Minnesota and South Dakota.

The best way to advertise Renville county is to maintain the important trails in the best condition and let the thousands of tourists over these trails know that the residents of Renville county are prosperous and progressive.

The Minnesota river is well bridged in this county. One bridge is about to be built in Hawk Creek. There are two in Sacred Heart. Of the two in Flora one marks the site of the old Vicksburg ferry. There is one connection at Beaver Falls township with North Redwood. Birch Cooley township lias two bridges, one near Morton and one south of Franklin.