Phillips County Museum News for Wednesday, May 29, 2024

On May 22, 1925, the Malta Commercial Club met and discussed building a road from the Henry W. Martin place on the Big Bend of the Milk River northeast of Malta to Whitewater. The County Commissioners had no funds, so a committee was appointed to secure funds. A committee of businessmen met with a group of Whitewater farmers. The farmers signed up to work from one to six days using a four-horse team to build a road starting at Whitewater and heading toward the Martin place. The County Commissioners agreed to let the Commercial Club use county equipment.

The Commercial Club would pay the two men in charge of the work from Malta toward the Martin place. They would also pay for the oil and gasoline. The project was estimated to cost around $350.00. The money was to be raised by donations.

A surveyor, Norman W. Hicks, had gone over the proposed road and was going to do another survey to come up with a better route than to come down Dunbar Coulee. He thought the coulee route would be washed out most springs making it expensive to keep the road repaired.

The grading was to start on October 1, 1925, when the farmers would have more time. The work was to continue until weather conditions stopped the work. In June 1926, a large number of Whitewater area farmers met with Malta Mayor Vinkler and Secretary Larsen of the Malta Commercial Club to discuss building the road.

I was never able to find any more information about this road in The Phillips County News or The Saco Independent. Does anyone know what became of this project?

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