From Our Files: Sept. 30, 2026

Water and mud marred Sweet Home’s Main Street in 1951, eliciting complaints from residents and businessmen who protested the conditions of the “completed” street project left by workers. Here, Bob Middleton ponders how to navigate a puddle in front of Raleigh’s Grocery, where construction workers filled in a catch basin, thus complicating drainage problems.

Oct. 4, 1951

 

The state highway resident engineer said he won’t pay contractors for the M Street pavement job until it’s completed to the satisfaction of Sweet Home residents and the state highway commission. That’s because complaints were lodged on a number of issues, mainly: workmen leaving dirt and debris in cluttered piles, construction faults resulting in minor flooding, rock and dirt piles blocking entranceways, and poor street drainage system.
In the photo at…