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Roscommon County Road Commission |
| Chairman |
Kim Akin |
| Vice Chairman |
R. Bill Ancel |
| Commissioner |
Jackie Bertsch |
| Commissioner |
Geroge E. Pappas |
| Commissioner |
Clint L. Stauffer |
| Manager |
Tim O'Rourke |
| The Roscommon County Road Commission meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. at the Road Commission Conference room located at 820 E West Branch Road (M-55 East). |
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History of the County Road System |
| Up to 1915 Roscommon County had only township maintained roads, which meant there were no good roads. The automobile was coming of age and there was a state wide movement on to upgrade all of Michigan's roads to take advantage of the new method of travel. Just a year before, the three townships of Richfield, Higgins and Gerrish had planned to work together to build a road through the county to reach Higgins Lake for tourism purposes. The few cars owned by local residents could not run all year because of a lack of good roads and snow removal. People driving north often times had to leave their cars in West Branch and take the train the rest of the way. Getting ready for an election one year the county clerk took the train to St. Helen and then went by snowshoe to Maple Valley to deliver the ballots. Winter mail was still delivered by sleigh as late as the mid 1920s. A vote was held at the regular election in April 1915 to adopt the county road system, which meant creating a county road commission. Dan Fishel, author |
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