WHEN YOU LOOK BACK through Emporia’s history, there are many defining moments which have shaped our community.
We remembered one of those stories last week when we told how Interstate 35 ended up coming through Emporia.
In the article, Virgil Basgall recounted how, 45 years ago, he, Fiske Marburt and Sam Mellinger went to Kansas City to lobby George Gagle, who served on the highway commission, to have I-35 come through Emporia.
The trip was described as a longshot. But during the visit, Gagle asked for a private meeting with Mellinger. After their discussion, Basgall said, both men seemed pleased and Gagle commented that the men had nothing to worry about.
No one knows what was talked about in that private meeting between Mellinger and Gagle, but later it was announced that the highway would come through Emporia.
Today, the highway brings thousands of visitors to our doorstep each year. For companies located in Emporia, the highway has been a major selling point.
As the years go by, this story of how the Interstate got here may be forgotten. But the leadership that those men exhibited 45 years ago changed our community forever.
Some Emporians visited me recently and suggested that, perhaps, after the highway reconstruction projects are done on the west side of the city and new roads are in place, we should lobby to have one of those roads named after those men.
We think that would be nice way to remember such an important moment in Emporia’s history.
Comments
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bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
I think a road named in honor of one or all of these men would be a fine idea, a great way to say "thank you." Obviously, I wasn't around 45 years ago (I wasn't hatched until '75), but it's interesting to imagine what Emporia what look like today had Interstate 35 taken an alternative route... even, let's say ten miles to the east or west. The population would be much smaller, for one. Would the university be as prosperous as it is today? The commerical development on the west side of the city would never have received that initial spark. Kind of makes you want to watch the movie "Back to the Future," huh?
Emporia was lucky to have been chosen as the crossroads of I-35 and the Kansas Turnpike. These men deserve credit for their strategic vision and hard work.
Brian Protheroe
San Francisco, CA
August 29, 2007 at 10:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
I did not realize the history behind this until reading this article. I think that would be a nice gesture. Here is a perfect example of people who believe in the Emporia community and working towards making it a better place to live - we should all strive to do that.
August 30, 2007 at 10:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )