Sec. C Pg 16 Missoulian Centennial Garden City’s Pavement Program Starts in 1911
Garden City’s Pavement Program Starts in 1911
It is only a little less than a half-century ago that Missoula had its first street paved.
In 1911 South 3rd street was given a tar macadam bitulithic surface by the Strange & Maguire Paving Co. under a $38,882.20 contract.
The following year on April 12, 1912 George C. Dietrich & Co. of Seattle received the contract for paving North Higgins avenue. On April 28 Mayor John M. Evans scooped up the first shovel of dirt and rocks to mark the official start of the project. There was a parade from city hall, with Parker’s Band leading the way, to the intersection of Front street and Higgins avenue where the mayor made a speech from a wagon, then stepped to the ground and tossed the first dirt into the vehicle.
Evenly Divided
The City Council was evenly divided on this project and when it was finally given approval, a court injunction held it up for a time. The contract called for the removal of the dirt, the grading of the avenue and the placing of 14,526 square yards of vitrified brick paving at a cost of $3.60 per square yard. The total contract price was $58,727.16. City tax records revealed the total cost to be $65,359.50.
This same year the Gerald avenue, West and East Railroad street, West and East Front street, West and East Cedar (now Broadway) street, and the Bank street special improvement districts were created and paving put in.
The Gerald avenue job was done by Dietrich for $43,091.30; the West and East Cedar paving by Nash & Nottingham for $25,469.90; the West and East Railroad paving by Dietrich for $28,328.71; the West and East Front project by Dietrich for $15,000 and the Bank street job by Dietrich for $2,753.30 The Bank street paving was concrete, the other bituminous.
The only 1913 project was that on South 4th street east, the vitrified brick pavement placed by G. H. Nash for $10,657.51.
West Main street was paved in 1914 under a $23,556.82 contract to J. C. Maguire.
In 1915 Pattee street, Pine street from Pattee to Stevens, Pine street from Stevens to Woody, and Stevens street were paved at contract prices of $20,057.87, $13,292.40, $6,220.37 and $26,880.34, respectively.
Other projects through the early 1920s were: 1916 – South Higgins Avenue $35,310; East Front $24,697.32. 1923 – Connell avenue $19,309.33; University avenue $33,626.37; Woody street $3,826.56; Stevens street, $3,271.05; Washington street $3,592.65. 1924 – East Main street $38,172.46. 1926 – East Cedar street $30,000.