With the arrival of the New Year and the sands of time drop through the hour glass, another historical year has been added to the calendar. We look around over our country and note changes that have taken place in the past year and think of things that have been altered in the past 10, 20, 30, or 50 years.

Today we skim down the highways, up the hills and down the hills with the greatest of ease. Little do we think of the hardships our forefathers endured in the beginning of the county to make a passable road.

Only 40 years ago there was mud knee deep in the roads. Just the other day Arlie Lay brought a little piece of paper into our office. It was a "Road Certificate" printed by the Enterprise Publishing Company 42 years ago.

Lay explained the certificate was found in some relatives belongings and was issued by L.S. Skidmore, circuit court clerk which appointed Green Noe overseer of the road "begginning at top of hill at Grays Branch and ending at Turtle Creek."

Noe had the privilege of calling upon his "hands" named on the road for free at the time he chose. The men listed in Noe's jurisdiction were:

John Noe, Steve Osborne, C.B. Farmer, Henry Farmer, Milt Farmer, Elic Farmer, Bob Howard, Ide Osborne, E.A. Osborne, Cleve Farmer, George Osborne, Sam Crider, Boots Hall, Sim Pace, Bob Noe, Sam Smith, Will Sergent, Daniel Osborne, Ison Noe, Albert Skidmore and Ira Skidmore.

Every male citizen in Harlan County knew it was his duty to work on the road an alloted number of days out of each year. That was his service to the county and nobody complained.

He realized the roads must be passable and whenever his time came to labor free, he went right out and got the job done. That was his service to the county and nobody complained.

He realized the roads must be passable and whenever his time came to labor free, he went right out and got the job done. That was the beginning of travel in Harlan County many years ago.

Of course most everybody remembers Bill Wilson (son of Mrs. C.Y. Wilson, Harlan). Bill was born here and went to school here and worked at Bissell's but here of late has moved to Texas...Houston, Texas, that is.

Well he was here for the holidays...boots and all. The first thing you notice when Bill walks down the street is those sharp pointed boots. They're really outstanding. He is a full fledged "Texan now."

It's good to hear of hometown people making good. Sgt. Edward S. Collier, stationed in Japan received a letter of commendation recently. his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Cleveland daid, "I desire to commend you for outstanding performance of duty during the recent transfer of the Communications Center, United States Army Forces Far East, from Camp Yokohama to Camp Zama."

The letter further stated "As assistant in the installation and maintenance of carrier equipment, you exhibited outstanding professional skill, ingenuity and enthusiasm in performance of difficult and exacting duties. Your contribution to the transfer of essential communications equipment from Yokohama to the new station of AFFE Headquaters at Camp Zama was in a large measure responsible for success of the operation, which was accomplished without appreciable interruptions of vital communications which link Headquaters, AFFE, with higher, adjacent and subordinate units throughout the Far East Command and the world."

Ed has re-enlisted for another term. He is attcahed to the Signal Corps Service Battalion.

Mason Knuckles, a former Harlan High School basketball and football coach in the '29 and 30's was in town this week looking up some of his former students. Coach Knuckles had a long chat with Bob Marks Jr. one of his students.

Sunday January 3, 1954

Volume 53 Number 1

Page 4

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