It is a far cry from the trail of the Indian, <>r the unbroken surface of the boundless prairie, which greeted the earliest trappers, ranchers and homesteaders of the Morrill county area to the wonderful gravel-surfaced, boulevarded roadways being constructed by the Nebraska State Department of Public Works in this second decade of the twentieth century. This single feature in the physical evolution of the county goes a long ways toward marking the progress made in even* phase of its life. Something of the scheme of the vast undertaking of the new state highway system has been outlined

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

in other portions of this work. When the projects already launched are completed, Morrill county will have a splendid network of permanent highways, from east to west and from north to south across the county.

North Platte Valley Highway First, local people, the communities and municipalities found it necessary to investigate and mark the most feasible roads from place to place. Seme of these were graded but many miles were untouched by plow, grader, or road drag.

Committees or delegates from the towns met from time to time to discuss proposed highways, the North Platte Valley Highway being one of the early definite marked roads of Morrill county. This was meant to> connect Lincoln Highway near North Platte, Nebraska, with the Yellowstone Highway near Douglas, Wyoming.

Pat King Road It was decided by the delegates from Alliance and Bridgeport to mark the road known as the Pat King road from Alliance to Angora, as it is the best road for immediate travel. As soon as the road on the east side of the railroad track can be put in shape for travel, the markers will be changed to that route. The "Pat King road"' runs northwest from Angora for a number of miles, and then northeast to Alliance, and is about ten miles longer than the road on the east side of the railroad track, but it will be used until the east side road can be put in better condition through the sand hills.