The Mayor Declared... August 20 and 21, 1913
"Now all you fellows that are keen to get out please meet the board of aldermen, the Marshall, and myself at the Bank of Eldon at 7:30 a.m. and we will see how patriotic you are. Why not have a general clean-up and everybody help? We can put two days to a good advantage right here in town. If you want to do anything for Eldon come out. You can at least pick up loose rocks, cut weeds or chop sprouts. Improve something by helping the looks anyway."
“Delegation Gathering in Eldon”
Photo and text Citation: Miller County Facebook Page Feb 17, 2019
In my chats with Karl from Karl’s Barber shop… he explained how he’s “Never Seen a Pot Hole” on Maple Street. Under all that pavement lays a base of brick.
He shared a story with me about how at the end of the Great Depression, the government paid workers to lay brick road on Maple Street. They were placed with the ends down, making them strong and sturdy. Since our chat, I have been looking for some details about when the Downtown Eldon streets turned from dirt to brick, and brick to pavement… this article I found on the Miller County Facebook Page… Shows and tells a little of the story…
I’ll meet with Karl again and see what else I can find out… as when he moved here in the 50s, the roads were already paved for those classic luxury cars we all love to drool over…
“The earliest road maps of Miller County include the location of homesteads, mills, and stores making them valuable sources of genealogical information. Maps from 1839 to 1859 are included here (Miller County Facebook Page Feb 17, 2019) taken from Judge Jenkins History of Miller County, Volume I.
As travelers switched from horses to horsepower the Missouri Governor proclaimed August 20 and 21, 1913, "Good Roads Days" in Missouri. Businesses were closed so the businessmen and farmers could meet to work on the roads. Eldon Mayor John Koenig made the following announcement:
"Now all you fellows that are keen to get out please meet the board of aldermen, the Marshall, and myself at the Bank of Eldon at 7:30 a.m. and we will see how patriotic you are. Why not have a general clean-up and everybody help? We can put two days to a good advantage right here in town. If you want to do anything for Eldon come out. You can at least pick up loose rocks, cut weeds or chop sprouts. Improve something by helping the looks anyway."
The next year, drivers organized in their communities, some parading to Tuscumbia to campaign for better roads.”
Want to learn more about “Good Roads Days” Check out this wiki page. It says… ”A key player was the United States Post Office Department.”
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