On January 5, 1889, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, and shortly thereafter Earle began selling and developing agricultural implements.

Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country....the League of American Wheelmen was formed in 1879, with each state organized as a division.

All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets.A plaque honoring Earle's efforts is located in a government building complex in Lansing, Michigan, directly west from the Capitol along the "mall" that corresponds with Michigan Ave.

HORATIO EARLE -- In 1905, the year the State Highway Department was created, Michigan roads were quagmires of sand, mud, and clay that trapped horse-drawn vehicles and early automobiles alike.

Bicycle clubs, such as the Leagues of American Wheelmen, led the effort to "reform" roads nationwide.

In Michigan, the first state highway commissioner, Horatio "Good Roads" Earle (1855-1935), a bicyclist himself, vowed to conquer "the Mighty Monarch Mud."