Bits By Betty—November 19, 2015
The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on July 20, 1923:
LUVERNE BUSINESS INTERESTS PLEDGE $5,000 TO A.Y.P. TRAIL
Many Give Financial Aid in Obtaining new Transcontinental Highway Thru This City
That the business and professional men of Luverne are strongly in favor of the movement to secure for Southern Minnesota the proposed Atlantic-Yellowstone-Pacific highway was disclosed the past week when memberships to the number of 188 in the association were secured in a few hours of canvassing. The goal set for Luverne is 200 memberships, and the few additional ones needed will be secured this week. The memberships are $25 each, and cover a period of five years, one-fifth of the membership fee being payable each year, providing the highway passes through Luverne.
At a meeting of a number of the business and professional men called hurriedly Friday morning the proposal that Luverne get behind the movement by an active campaign for memberships met with unanimous approval. Before the meeting closed nearly one half of the desired memberships had been subscribed. On the following morning the committee in charge made a canvass of the business district and in less than two hours had boosted the membership to within twelve of the two hundred mark.
The manner in which the project has been handled by the people of Luverne has attracted much favorable comment among the Sioux Falls promoters of the highway. The matter was brought to the attention of the Luverne Kiwanis club several weeks ago, at which time like attention was invited to similar clubs or other civic organizations in every town along the proposed four routes east from Sioux Falls.
A highway committee composed of A. O. Moreaux, chairman; A. D. LaDue, A. A. Anderson, Otto Bierkamp and H. H. Hagedorn, was appointed by the club to investigate the project and to take such steps as were deemed advisable. Following the appointment of this committee assurance was given the directors of the Sioux Falls association that the Luverne Kiwanis club stood ready to promote the highway through Southern Minnesota as soon as the committee was assured that the proposed Minnesota route stood an equal chance with the proposed three routes through Iowa in securing the highway.
Assurance to this effect was given two weeks ago yesterday. The Luverne committee then called a meeting of towns along the proposed route from Luverne to Albert Lea. This meeting was held at Fairmont on July 10th, and as a result another meeting was then called for the 14th at the same place.
The Luverne committee proposed that inasmuch as Luverne was promoting the Southern Minnesota route she ought to show her good faith by taking the initiative in the matter of securing memberships in the highway association, and that this work ought to be accomplished before the meeting at Fairmont Saturday night. The meeting Friday morning and the result above stated followed.
The proposed highway was originated by Sioux Falls business and professional men and a fund of $38,000 was raised by membership subscriptions to promote the road. Divided on a per capita basis this would represent approximately $1 for every man, women and child in Sioux Falls, granting Sioux Falls the population claimed. Luverne’s total exceeds this by about two-thirds on a per capita basis, crediting Luverne with a population of 3,000. It has been suggested that actual population figures would not show this per capita difference, but the figures used are those that have been quoted at the various meetings.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.
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