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1915 History

CHAPTER IX.

RAILROADS, HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION.

From History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915)
by H. F. Andrews

The first traveled highway was the old Mormon trail, coming from the way of Des Moines, Adel, Redfield, etc. It entered the county near the "Divide," not far south of the northeast corner of Audubon township; thence down the divide between the water sheds of Troublesome and Crooked creeks, through Indian Grove (section 14, Audubon township), to Hamlin's Grove; thence down Troublesome to Grove City and Lewis and on to Council Bluffs. It was not a legally laid-out highway and ran across the country without following section lines.

It will not be amiss to notice some of the first legally established roads, which were generally laid out across the county without conforming to section lines, but conforming to the divides and highlands.

The remainder of the township and range lines in the county, by A. Anderson, 1851.

Old State road No. i was laid out by Dr. Samuel M. Ballard and Thomas Seely, as commissioners, in 1855. It commenced at the west line of Dallas county, at the terminus of a road laid there in 1849; thence by way of Bear Grove, entering Audubon county at the half-mile post on the north line of section 2, Audubon township ; thence southwesterly down Troublesome to the township line at the corner of sections 7 and 18, same township; thence to Dayton (section 22, Exira township); thence through sections 28, 29 and 30, same township, to Ballard's bridge in section 36, in Oakfield township; thence by way of the Eorks of the West Nishua river, in township yy, range 39, in Shelby county; thence to Council Bluffs. The portion of the road east from the old town of Dayton is practically obsolete.

County road No. 2 was located in December, 1855. The petitioners were : Daniel Crane, David L. Anderson, Hiram Perkins, David Edgerton, William Pangburn, John Sifford, Reuben Kenyon, Nathaniel Wiggin, John Crane, and Bryant Milliman. Nathaniel Hamlin was commissioner and Peoria I. Whitted, surveyor. Beginning on the east line of section i, Audubon township ; thence to the upper grove on Troublesome, in section 4, in Audubon township; thence to David's creek (Exira); thence to the Shelby county line, twenty rods north of the northwest corner of Sharon township.

County road Xo. i was laid out in 1855-6. The petitioners were: Nathaniel Hamlin. John Crane, Thomas S. Lewis, Isaac V. D. Lewis, O. Everett r^Iarsh, Oliver Smith, Alonzo N. Arnold, Jonathan Decker, William Carpenter, Peoria L Whitted. Richard M. Lewis, Daniel Crane. Robert A. Oliphant. Urbane Herrick and David L. Anderson. David Edgerton was commissioner and Peoria L \\'hitted. surveyor. Beginning on the south line of section 31, Exira township; thence east across Troublesome, by Hamlin's Grove, and ending at the Guthrie county line at the corners of sections 12 and 13, Audubon township, the site of the present Lutheran cemetery.

County road Xo. 7 was located in 1857. Alvin Herrick was commissioner and Peoria L Whitted, surveyor. Beginning at State road Xo. 2, in section 28, Exira township; thence north through Big Grove, Exira. Highland Grove, and termination on the Guthrie county line, eighty-five rods south of the corner of sections 24 and 25. Viola township.

County road Xo. 9, was located in 1859, being petitioned for by John E. McConnell, J. E. Ham. William S. Bush, Lyman Bush, William P. Hamlin. Avery Belcher. James Eagan. Charles Wiggin, William X^elson. Leonard Earley. Stillman H. Perry and Xathaniel Wiggin. Beginning at the east end of Depot street, Exira; thence east and ending at Judge Harris' breaking, near to countv road Xo. i, on the Guthrie countv line.

These were the most important roads in the county up to i860. The routes of travel were mostly confined to the high lands, across countr)^ without following section lines in the first instance. Miles of road wound along the ridges, to avoid the streams and low. wet lands, and to avoid the building of bridges as much as possible. They were the natural ways for travel and soon became ideal highways. As the country settled up, they have been -changed, mostly to conform to the section lines.

[PHOTOS COMING SOON: SCENIC VIEW, AUDUBON. WHEAT HARVEST SCENE.]

BRIDGES.

Bridges were then an expensive claim upon the limited resources of our thinly-settled county, but the people were equal to the demand. They could not build the costly structures we are erecting today ; indeed, a single bridge such as we now build costs more than all the bridges built in the county for the first ten years. The first bridges were constructed by placing long, strong logs across the stream from bank to bank, the ends firmly buried in the ground, and were covered with poles and dirt. The upper side was lowest, in order that the high water would pass over it entirely, and the weight of the water pressed the bridge covering firmly to the stringers, and thus prevented it from being swept away by the current. Such bridges had to answer their purposes, and they were convenient and safe, except in high water. Several accidents have occurred from these defective primitive bridges. About 1873, Hiram Jellison lost a valuable horse in attempting to cross the bridge west of Old Hamlin during high water, and the same year a traveler in attempting to cross Four Mile creek, east of Exira, had a span of horses drowned, where the bridge had been swept away by high water.

The next important change in bridges was by bedding heavy mud-sells in the stream, or near the edges, and erecting upon them heavy frame works high above the water, and covering them with plank for a roadway. They were not a success and were constantly swept away by high water, resulting in heavy losses.

In 1872 Mark Frary, of Atlantic, introduced the system of pile bridges, which was adopted by the county and used extensively to the present time. In recent years corrugated metalic tubes are being successfully used for culverts, instead of the small wooden bridges. The county has already replaced many wooden structures with concrete and iron bridges and culverts, and these improvements bid fair to be continued and increased.

ROADS.

For many years roadbeds have been graded, the hilltops cut down and hollows filled. Since the advent of automobiles, roads have been vastly improved and made better and smoother by a uniform system of road dragging. Under recent laws, the prospects are that in the near future defective highways in Audubon county will be a thing of the past. The River to River road, through the county east and west, passes through Exira. It would require a volume to enumerate the roads and bridges in the county, a very complete record of which is found in the county auditor's office, showing four hundred and seventy-five roads, ramifying all parts of the county, aggregating eight hundred and thirteen miles of roads.

here are now in the county five hundred wooden bridges, each over thirty-two feet in length; five hundred wooden bridges and culverts less than thirty-two feet in length ; ten concrete and steel bridges, and three thousanci corrugated metallic tube culverts.



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Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, February, 2019, from History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915), by H. F. Andrews, page 159-161.