"Beautifying the State Park" and county-level automobile ownership figures from the May 14, 1914 Sturgeon Bay Advocate
BEAUTIFYING THE STATE PARK
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MUCH HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE IN THIS LINE AND WORK IS STILL IN ACTIVE PROGRESS.
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Start Made on Macadam Highways.
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Engineer Kringle Now Making Surveys for Plans and Work To Be Pushed Forward Energetically to Completion.
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Persons who have recently visited the state park in the northern part of the county are loud in their praise of what has already been done in the way of improving the property under the supervision of A. E. Doolittle, the park superintendent.
All the underbrush has been removed, leaving an attractive green sward in its place. The buildings that had been vacated, and grounds surrounding them, have been fixed up, and are now offered for rent by the park superintendent. There are six of these habitations altogether, most of which are four-room buildings. Some of the premises on which they stand have small orchards growing. The trees have all been trimmed, the grass cut and the rubbish cleaned up.
Supt. Doolittle is now engaged in laying out a couple of golf links for the benefit of those who may come here to spend the summer, and intends to have one of the finest courses in the state. Tennis courts, ball grounds and places of this character for amusement and healthful recreation are among the things that are planned by the state forestry department.
State Engineer August Kringle arrived in the city Monday and was taken to the state park by Highway Commissioner Wagener, where he is now engaged in making a survey of the proposed road that it is the intention to build in the park, thru it and around it—money for which was appropriated at the last session of the legislature. As soon as these surveys have been completed and the plans made bids will be called for and the work of construction rushed as rapidly as possible, as it is the desire to have as much done by the time the summer season is in full blast as the contractors can finish.
When these roads are finished and the park put in the condition planned by those having it in charge, the people of the state will have one of the most beautiful play grounds to be found in the United States. The fact of the matter is, they do not realize what they have. When they do finally awaken to the advantages contained in a park of this kind, where for the asking they will be given grounds on which to pitch their tents and live with nature for as long as they want; enjoy the advantages of long macadam boulevards thru the most beautiful and picturesque scenery in the state of Wisconsin; have access to the golf links, ball grounds and other commons, there will be such a rush to this part of the state that the space in the park of 3700 acres will be at a premium.
When the road is built thru the state park on the boundary line, which it is understood will be one of the first constructed, there will be a macadam highway all the way to Ephraim.
The building of a railroad is what is going to build up the northern part of the county, not only as a summer resort, but with permanent settlers. A summer population will turn the attention of the farming community to raising garden truck and catering to that line of products which will find a ready sale with the hotels that will be obliged to feed the guests as well as those who will board themselves. There is surely a bright future for Door county.
[author not stated]
[From the same newspaper]
Sturgeon Bay in connection with Door County ranks 47th in the number of automobiles owned in Wisconsin. There being a total of 170 licenses issued in Door county. Milwaukee, Dane, Rock, Fond du Lac, Walworth, Racine, Waukesha and Manitowoc counties are the eight big leaders. The accompanying map shows the number of automobiles owned in each county in Wisconsin and for which licenses were issued in 1913. The large number of sales this year however, promises to nearly double the number in 1913 and which totaled 34,000. The sales so far this year are made to farmers thruout the rural districts. It is gratifying to note the number of farmers who now come to the cities with the "buzz wagon." This brings them nearly to their stores or markets as a matter of business and will tend to bring about better roads and in general a better feeling in fellowship with the residents of the cities and the rural districts. In some localities in Wisconsin auto trucks are run several times during the week and carry the farm produce from the various farmer customers along the line to market. It is carried on in a co-operative manner in some sections and works out with a great degree of satisfaction.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Description of macadam road construction: https://www.britannica.com/technology/macadam-road-construction ]
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