UNITED STATES — Earth Roads and the United States Dept of Agriculture in 1902 vs 2026.
Did you ever drive down the road in your car and wonder how terrific our roads are. In the early 1900’s there were over 2,000,000 miles of rural, unpaved roads across America. Roads that lead to many farms which provided farm products like grain, hay, poultry and other livestock. Much needed items for growing farms and cities across America. These roads also put the beginning of many small towns on the map. Unfortunately, back in the late 1800’s there were no road crews to maintain, or even build suitable roads. No worries, once again, our new country depends on the ingenuity of the American farmer. This farmer, David Ward King, born in Ohio in 1857, became a farmer in Maitland, Missouri. As a farmer, he was recognized as the inventor of the King Road Drag. In the beginning, it started out as a wooden piece of craftsman work that would attach to a pair of horses. Horses would pull the drag over a wet rural road creating a center crown in the road which would allow rain water to seep onto the sides of the crown. In 1908, Mr. King received a patent for this horse-drawn forerunner of the modern road grader. It didn’t take long for changes to happen as a result of this splendid piece of craftsmanship. The biggest change was in 1912 when the United States Post Office agreed to allow daily home delivery of mail and less then 4 pounds parcel post if the road ways were cleared and maintained by road graders. This opened the doors for retail catalogues to be mailed across the country, changing the landscape of the very much isolated farming community into a road map of connecting roads allowing the growth needed to be the backbone of America.
Farmer David Ward King held a patent similar to the picture above for King Road Drag, forerunner to current day road grader.
Date to remember: May 1, 2026 -11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Institute for Rural Vitality welcomes its partner growers, producers, and small businesses to the fourth annual Empire State Entrepreneur Expo. The theme of this Expo is Taste, Try and Buy. Don’t miss this showcase of homegrown innovation and community spirit. Have a great week!
