March 15, 1945 (Thursday)

HANK PREPPING TO PLOW OATS. HENRY TOURS COUNTY ROADS & BRIDGES.

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Continued mild sunny

weather, temperatures

around 65° unusual

for March weather.

Hank is disking

the corn stubbles

preparatory to plowing

oats.

Henry and members of

Road Comm + Roads and

Bridges Comm toured

the County in the

interest of better roads

and bridges.

Washed the living room walls

to-day.

Henry and I spent evening at Alden's.

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Henry A. Johnson, Sr. (Edna's husband) was a leader of people and of progress.

He attended a one-room school at Bowne Center for his primary education and graduated from Lowell High School before earning his teaching certificate at Valparaiso University.

Henry taught school throughout Kent County for several years while also working on the family farm. At the age of 23, he was elected clerk of Bowne Township, serving in that position for 8 years until being elected township treasurer.

Henry was 25 when he married Edna in 1902.

In 1923, according to the Michigan Roads and Pavements publication of February 23 of that year, Henry was newly elected to serve as a Kent County Road Commissioner.

It seems Henry came to the position following a prolonged controversy at the road commission in which the "road department of Kent County was given a thorough investigation, which resulted in complete exoneration of the commission of charges of irregularities detrimental to the interests of the county."

Often referred to as "the farmer from Alto," Henry would hold the position of Kent County Road Commissioner for 32 years, longer than any other member. He officially retired on December 31, 1955.

During his service, Henry earned the moniker of "Father of the [Kent] County Park system" for the instrumental role in played in setting aside land for parks in Kent County.

Johnson Park in Walker, Michigan is named in his honor.

Henry and his fellow commissioners helped to develop and modernize the roadways and governance of road and highway systems in Kent County. A brief history of roadways in Michigan featured on MichiganCountyRoads.org provides some perspective.

"In the early 1900s, Michigan roads were planned, built and maintained at the township level of government. Residents recognized the inefficiency and lack of coordinated planning that occurred by handling roads at the township level.

The quality of the road surface, choice of routes, road widths and other road features varied widely, which did not make for good transportation for farm wagons or the new horseless carriage. Ever wondered why a “country road” made a small jog? It’s a little remnant of Michigan history.

County road commissions were created expressly to ensure a county-wide seamless system of roads and bridges under local control. This system has worked well over the years, with county road agencies consulting with townships as well as cities and villages, and making the most efficient use of resources.

What was once a disparate patchwork of farm-to-market routes jogging through the Michigan countryside has been developed into a modern road system connecting Michigan cities and villages. From seasonal byways to multi-late urban freeways, today’s county roads enable the efficient movement of people, goods and services across Michigan." MichiganCountyRoads.org

I found limited access online to two relevant publications featuring news and information about Michigan roadways in the early to mid 1900s; Michigan Highway and Byways and Michigan Roads and Pavements. I am doing a bit of digging around to see if I can find a library in Michigan that may have actual copies in their archives. I would love to read through them and learn more. I did find a few articles online that referenced Henry A. Johnson and thought I would share one of them here.

On this day in March of 1945, when Edna writes, "Henry and members of Roads and Bridges Commission toured the County in the interest of better roads and bridges," Henry had just been elected to serve as the president of the County Roads Association (CRA) of Michigan.

There is a brief article in the March 22, 1945 edition of the Lowell Ledger referencing the event which took place during the annual meeting of the County Roads Association at the Olds Hotel in Lansing.

The Hotel Olds opened in 1926. In 1960, it was purchased by the Jack Tar hotel Chain and renamed the Jack Tar Lansing. In 1970, it was renamed the Olds Plaza. Today, it is known as the George W. Romney Building and houses the Office of the Governor and other state offices.

Henry Alden Johnson, Sr. passed away on April 7, 1965 at the age of 88. He was a seeker of knowledge and a teacher. He was, as you will read in his obituary, an author and poet (more on that in another post). He was a husband and a father and a grandfather. He was an advocate and public servant. He was the farmer from Alto who became the Father of the Kent County Parks System.

If you find yourself driving down a county road or visiting a park in Kent County in the state of Michigan, give Henry and his fellow commissioners a nod of thanks.