On June 1, 1915, the men in Ridgeway and the surrounding area celebrated a funny kind of event: Road Dragging Day. The business men in town called area farmers asking if they would come to town and help drag the local roads coming into Ridgeway to smooth them out. The farmers agreed and “They came, they dragged, they were furnished free entertainment and went home happy.”
Sixty-nine men and boys brought seventy-five teams and about 45 road drags and scrapers showed up to help with the work. They represented seven townships: Jefferson, Union, Marion, Madison, Trail Creek, Sherman and Grant. They got their dinners from the Switzer and Winkler restaurants and the good people at the Lazear livery fed and cared for the horses.
After the dinner, the workers were entertained with music and a “movie” show at the Rex theater. They could also play at the box ball ally. J. W. Leazenby spoke and “made a cracking" good roads speech which was much appreciated and received with marked attention. Photographs were taken of all the men as a group and individuals with their teams and drags.
“Before returning home, the ‘men with the drags’ decided that we city folks did not keep our streets in the proper shape and proceeded to show us how the trick was done. They dragged Main street until it was as smooth as glass, they dragged down Popular street and back on Pine, up on maple street and down on Vine” until all the streets in Ridgeway were in a “most excellent shape.” (Ridgeway Journal, June 8, 1915).
