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OCR Page 1 of 3Low Holland quid a
ROAD PROGRAM
Oct. 12, 1932.
et
AND
For thousands of years nations have struggled
with roads, and the nation with the best roads invariably
was the most progressive nation.
No roads mean a savage people, poor roads and
little used, is a sign civilization is stagnant.
The first trails in the West were the path of the
Buffalo. He was a heavy animal with small feet and made
his path on solid ground and on account of his weight he
picked easy grades. The Indians adopted the trails of the
Buffalo and many of our early roads were over these routes.
Missouri became interested in roads with the advent
of the white man, and the Santa Fe Trail traversed Jackson
County just a little to the north of where we are today.
Jackson County took her name from Andrew Jackson, in fact
they thought so much of Jackson they honored him twice by
calling their County seat Independence on account of his
independent character.
It seems quite fitting at this time to recall the
visit of Washington Irving to Jackson County just one hundred
years ago. Writing from Independence Sept. 24, 1832 to
his sister, he described Jackson County as follows:
"We arrived at this place (Independence) the day
before yeaterday, after nine days traveling on horseback from
St. Louis. Yesterday I was out on a deer hunt in the
vicinity of this place, which led me through some scenery
that only wanted a castle, or a gentlemen's seat here and
there interspersed, to have equaled some of the most
celebrated park scenery of England. The fertility of all
this western country is truly remarkable. The soil is
like that of a garden, and the Luxuriance and beauty of
the forests exceed any I have ever seen.'
The first roads in Jackson County grew along the
trails; today's roads were planned by competent engineers.
The first roads were dirt and later on when we built the
Macadam road it was looked upon as the latest and best for
road purposes.
However, the Macadam road, or pie crust road as
Judge Truman calls it, could not withstand the heavy loads
and the fast moving traffic of the autos and trucks.
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