For many years the county seat of Harrison looked like the Old West with dirt streets, roaming livestock, and the dangerous “Dead Man’s Corner,” scene of many a fight and shooting.

Harrison grew dramatically in population with the coming of the railroad in 1901. More people meant more businesses, homes, and infrastructure—things like sewers, roads, and utilities.

The town’s first street improvement district was created in 1924. Streets in the business district were paved and a sewer system was built. But by 1936 only 10 percent of the town’s streets were surfaced. Believing Harrison couldn’t continue to grow without improvement, downtown merchant Layton Coffman successfully led a campaign to pave streets citywide.