Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1914 — Room for Improvement in Jasper County Roads. [ARTICLE]

Room for Improvement in Jasper County Roads.

Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Babcock, Miss Mildred Vanderburg and Lawrence Knapp took an 80-mile automobile ride Sunday, visiting Remington, Goodland, Kentland, Brook, Hazelden, Foresman and thence back to Goodland and so on home on the south road from Goodland and through Remington. The country over in that section looks mighty fine now, and in about Kentland many fields of corn were up high' enough to see the rows clear across the fields. This was the writer's first trip by wagon road through the section of country in about Kentland in twenty years, and a great improvement was noted everywhere. . There is certainly not much finer country lying out of doors than that in about Kentland and south of Brook. The numerous farms owned by George Ade, the author and playwright, are kept up in the finest kind of condition, with splendid woven wire fences, handsome and comodious farm buildings, all neatly painted,’ and each farm having a distinctive name. We passed by the “Brecount Farm,” ‘‘Brookside Farm,” “Hazelden,” “Riverside Farm” and the “County Chairman Farm,” which are all ow-ned by Mr. Ade and are certainly a delight to the eye. In driving over the roads of our neighboring counties, one certainly reaches the conclusion that there is something wrong with the improved roads in Jasper county, and the worst roads found most any place are between Rensselaer and Remington, especially near Rensselaer. The road out to the college is especially abomniable, and it seems as though something should be done at once to remove the bumps. Of course this road between Remington and Rensselaer is traveled a great deal, perhaps more than any road in Newton county, but probably not more than the road between Remington and Wolcott, which is a boulevard compared with our roads.

It seems to us that no more stone roads should be built in Jasper county until they are built right. The roads should be properly drained and graded and the stone thoroughly rolled down solid. / Another thing, in the repairs made on our improved roads, it seems as though a great deal of money is practically wasted. Over in White county, especially, the roads are scraped early in the spring before they have thoroughly dried out and then smoothed with a road drag, something that is seldom if ever done here. Our plan seems to be to go along and dump a load of fresh stone here and there in the holes and ruts, when we “get to it,” which is a very expensive method, and leaves a great part of our roads at least, in bad condition most of the time. There is certainly great room for improvement in the building of roads in Jasper county and also in the keeping of them in repair.