The year 1923 was very important in Ridgeway’s history as voters approved two significant ordinances: Ordinance 125 to borrow $45,000 in bonds to finance a municipal water system and Ordinance 126 to borrow the same amount to finance an city-wide sewer system. The issues needed a 2/3 majority to pass which they did with 277 in favor and 91 votes against. Bids were accepted and the contract given to Ole Johnson of Alden, Iowa. The work began in earnest in the spring of 1924. While they made good progress with the sewer system, they had some trouble with digging a good well and had to try at least twice to get a well that would meet the requirements. They had hoped to be done by July and it seems that they were successful as the Ridgeway Consolidated School District No. 10 was requesting bids for a “complete installation of a sanitary plumbing system, including the sewer and water lines to the city service” to be built in the school’s basement. “Dad and Max” from Johnson’s Hardware won that contract and had to work hard to get the job completed before school started in September 1924. Ridgeway had the honor of being the first city in Harrison County to have a municipally-owned water and sewer system.
