By Rickey Robertson
Most people living in Louisiana don’t know that our state was the last state to finally come out of the Great Depression. But what helped the state out of this terrible situation? It began early in 1940 when Governor Sam Jones was contacted by the US Army concerning military maneuvers in the state.
These maneuvers began in the spring/summer of 1940, and with the monies being spent by the Army, the state slowly began to overcome the hard times of the Depression.
Another thing the US Army did to assist the state was to send engineer units throughout the areas to help improve roads and bridges. There were very few paved roads in the maneuver areas of Central and West Central Louisiana. Most roads were only dirt roads, and they were considered improved if they had gravel on them. With the hundreds of military trucks, tanks, and other motorized vehicles, the roads, and especially the bridges, would need to be reinforced for heavy use.
Beginning in 1936, the Louisiana Department of Highways was formed and began to set the first highway markers throughout the state. These were concrete markers with LDH imprinted on them and were placed along the right of ways of all roads declared a highway. These markers were to be: 30 feet from the center line of the roadway; 6 inches square and made of concrete; placed 3 feet into the ground; and have 2 feet out of the ground, showing right-of-way ownership by the Louisiana Department of Highways.
Right along my property located in the Peason Community and 30 feet from the center line of LA Hwy. 118 (the Louisiana Maneuvers Hwy.) is one of these original highway right-of-way markers. As you travel many of the country highways throughout the area, you will notice these old markers. On all the roadways that have been turned into four-laned highways or interstates, these markers have been destroyed or removed. So, this marker and others along Highway 118 were placed during the 1930’s.
When the Army Engineers did arrive in 1940 and 1941, these right-of-way boundary markers were used as they graded and updated these rural roadways. Today our roadways maintained by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (formed in 1976) are paved. It was a great day for us when Hwy. 118, going from Florien to Mt. Carmel to Peason and on to Kisatchie, was paved. No more gravel road! I will never forget riding with my Granddaddy to Many, Louisiana from Peason, listening to the gravel hitting and popping under the fenders of his old big Mercury car!
So, if you are traveling along a rural road and see one of these right-of-way boundary markers, you are seeing a piece of Louisiana highway history dating back to the days of dirt and gravel roadways!