Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1918 — THE ROUTE NOW MARKED [ARTICLE]

THE ROUTE NOW MARKED

MT. AYR-RENSSELAER AUTOMOBILE ROUTE IT THE NEAREST AND BEST. t ■ ■ ■ The Main and Central garages and the Makeever Hotel have placed big signs and other markers on the road leading to Thayer in hopes of diverting the . tourist travel through .Rensselaer. They drove over the route through Morocco, which is now being used extensively by the government motor trucks and toursists. They found this route thirteen miles longer than the Mt. Ayr-Rensselaer route and for four miles of the route through Morocco they found the road tqo narrow for cars to pass and built through muck, which makes that portion of the road dangerous to travel. The road from here to Thayer is in fine condition and is of rock or gravel all the way. It is two miles shorter than the Jackson highway and a much better road. This route will be called to the attention of the government in hopes of having the government designate this as the route to be used in the trucking business.

This is a matter that affects Rensselaer as a whole and everyone should co-operate with the garages and hotel in bringing the matter to the attention of the traveling public.' A recent edition of the Chicago Sunday Examiner has the following to say es the route from Chicago to Indianapolis and favors the shorter route "by way of Mt. Ayr and Rensselaer. The Examiner article follows: “Ever since the Fall of 1909, when* the first speedway in America was opened, motorists have been going into Indianapolis from all directions, and Chicago has contributed more to that city than its hospitality at speedway meeting times warranted. Then, again, Indianapolis is one- of the chief cities on the route from the Middle West to the extreme South, and, being a day’s run from Chicago, naturally is an important stopping place. “It must frankly be admitted that it is a delightful drive of from eight to ten hours to the capital of the Hoosier state, mainly because the roads are hard and smooth-practical-ly every inch of the way, but alse because the route leads through some moderately pretty country. “It is unfortunate, however, that after leaving the neighborhood, of Chicago a drive of 135 milss is required before suitable eatingplaces may be found. The route given herewith is like all others leading’to Indianapolis in .that it is lacking in suitable places- to take care of the inner man.

“Motorists have been in the habit of following beaten trials/ with all their cut up road surfaces and dust accumulations. *The old and familiar route through Virgie and Aix was anything but desirable, owing to the fact that there are two or three stretches of unimproved road and with something like five miles that need not be covered. Another Indianapolis route is by way of Valparaiso, Bass Lake and Logansport, and, while exceedingly good, is not so direct as the one given today. Still another route takes motorists well to the we v st through Morocco and Brook, making a still greater journey and over no better highways. “A portion of the route printed on this page is entirely new, the improvement having just been completed. The route from Chicago to Crown Point and on to Thayer is familiar to practically every motorist who makes any attempt at country driving, but instead of turning east at Thayer and going by way of Virgie and Aix, or continuing south and working westward through Enos and then south through Morocco arid Brooke, Rensselaer is reached by a more direct way, with fewer turns and over ideal roads. “The road continues directly south from Thayer for several and while it is true a small portion jof the new stone highway is yet to receive its top surface, there is nothing to prevent easy going all the way. The top dressing and the road making implements are on the ground now, so that by the time the motorist desides to go to Indianapolis he will find this road complete. There is one stretch of perhaps a half mile that is not of hard surface, but it is on high ground, easily drained by* nature, and at no time of the’year could it become so muddy as to prevent going through. “This route leads directly to the western edge of Rensselaer and then turns south on College Ave., a hard wide highway extending some twelve miles to the northern edge of Remington. Here a turn to the east is made for half a dozen miles into the •little town of Wolcott, and from this place there is a run of some eighteen miles, broken only by a‘ half-mile jog. The route passes Purdue university, goes through Lafayette and over the most direct road through a number of small cities to Frankfort. “The surface of the roadway over this route is for the greater part of graVel, but there are many long stretches of macadam and no dirt except for one little stretch about eighty miles out of Chicago. After leaving Crown—Point there is no point of importance until Rensselaer is reached, but Shelby, just before

crossing the Kankakee river, is supplied with an accommodating garage man and a little restaurant that is by no means half bad. “Rensselaer is a small city with plenty cf garages and few eating places. Lafayette and Frankfort have good hotel accommodations, while all of the towns along the route supply motorists’ needs in the shape of gasoline, oil, tires and repairs. The 200 miles between Chicago and Indianapolis may easily be covered in 4 day without fatigue, and the Indiana capital is well worth a day of exploration, because it has many things of interest and its' roads and streets are all of the peimanent character.”