Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-18
HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL
Going to the Yosemite is an
Arduous Task.
LONG,DUSTY STAGERIDE
COMFORT OF THE VISITORS IS
DISREGARDED.
A Million Dollars Spent In Improve
ments Would Bring Large Re
turns to the State.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record-H Herald.

Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
WAWONA, Cal, September 10, 1905
There are two regular stage lines into
the Yosemite valley-one connecting with
the Southern Pacific railroad at Raymond
station, and the other with the Santa Fe
railroad at the town of MERGED. A third
line, by way Of Big Oak Flats, has been
suspended, but the managers promise to
revive 1t in the form Of electric automo-
biles running on rails The Raymond
route is advertised as seventy miles long,
but is undoubtedly eighty-fve miles. The
MERGED Is advertised as lightweight miles,
but must be more than one hundred. They
have an amiable way out here, as In Spain,
Of making the distances between places to
please passengers and those who come Will
discover that 1t is usually twenty-six miles
to whatever place they are going, regard
less Of the actual distance.
Whichever route you take, you Will nave
hard ride. with long hours, bad roads,
and with the exception Of five or six weeks
in the spring, sitting dust. This makes
the journey a hardship rather than q
pleasure: when the expenditure or smalI
sum of money would convert what ls now
an ordeal into one OF the greatest pleas
ures afforded to mankind.
. In the first place. the resting stations are
too far apart. No one can enjoy stage
ride commencing at o'clock in the morn
ing and lasting until dark; and even those
long hours do not allow any opportunity
for travellers to enjoy the numerous Cd
jects OF interest the wonderful forests ana
the sublime scenery that lie along the
route. The visitor Is jammed into a crowd
ed stage; he wraps himself in linen DUST
er; puts on goggles to protect his eyes;
pulls his hat down over his face and takes
every precaution to shield himself from
the dust. Women wear TWO or three veIis
and are scarcely able to see anything
through them. A good part of the journey
IL the wind happens to be blowing In the
same direction you are going, the team'
stage and passengers are contlnuaiy en-
yeloped in a cloud of dust ten times thicker
than a fog. The deepest dust Is In the val
ley ITSELF within stones throw OF the no
tel When a stageload of travellers arrives
the night, they have to be literally dug out
of the dust which almost conceals them
Cannot Afford Improvements.
This condition of affairs Is due to tho
fact that the revenues of the stage lines
are not sufficient to justify them in Inn
proving the roads. while the state govern
ment Of California, which has had possess
sion of the Yosemite valley for thirty years
or so, has never done anything, or at least
has done nothing of recent years, in the
meager appropriations have been expended
In the payment of salaries, the expenses OF
official junkets and for similar purposes.
The Raymond stage line belongs 10 three
brothers named Washburn. There was
fourth brother, who recently died and is
universally mourned. They came from
Vermont. The late A. H. Washburn did
more than any other man to make the
attractions. The Washburn brothers built
the road from Raymond. They own loo
fine horses. 30 comfortable stages and
all the hotels and stopping places on the
route and are genial, hospitable and oblig-
Ing men, Marposa county gives them a
small subsidy for keeping the roads In
repair. They are allowed to charge toll
for part of the distance and the federal
government pays them for carrying the
mails; but from all these sources, in addi-
ton to passenger fares they do not receive
sufficient revenue to justify there in keep
ing the roads in order Last year they
oiled thirty-one Of the seventy miles Of
road between Raymond and the valley, and
that part of the route is still in very good
condition. 1t cost them So a barrel, their
superintendent told me, to get the oil on
the ground, and they say that they cannot
afford to improve the rest of the line. By
adding So to each round-trip ticket they
could make every passenger pay for a bar
rel of Oil, and in two or three years could
have the road in perfect condition. The
dust Is not only intensely disagreed BILE for
The wheels grind the surface to powder.
which the wind blows away; and they bur-
row deep ruts which the wind keeps
emptying; and when the rains begin
the roadway Is washed into the nearest
gulch. When oil is spread upon a road it
makes a hard, smooth, waterproof surface.
There Is no dust to blow away; there are
no ruts, and repairs inexpensive and
seldom necessary. The WaShburn broth
ers keep a gang Of men at work on the
roads the year round making temporary
repairs, and explain that they have not
done anything permanent of late years
because of the prospect of competition from
steam and trolley lines that always threat
ems them
There are half dozen or more projects of
that Sort and 1t is almost certain that a
railway will be built up to the edge of the
Yosemite park reserve before another year
Is over The government will not permit
railroads to enter the park. They must stop
ten twelve miles from the hotel and pas
sengers should be conveyed over the re-
naming distance in comfortable open car
riages or automobiles, SO they may enjoy
the Incompatible scenery. The United
States government should lay out a system
of roads and trails throughout the entire
area of the park and the forest reserve
which surrounds 1t similar to those in the
Yellowstone and connect them with similar
roads in the neighboring reservations, In
order that visitors may enjoy a journey
through the forests and canyons and among
the mountain peaks of California without
hardship or inconvenience.
What Should Be Done.
1t should provide trails for pedestrians and
horseback riders. as well as wagon roads.
1t should build, or permit private parties to
build at frequent intervals along the roads
and trails. hotels, inns, rest houses and
other accommodations for man and beast in
order to make the journey comfortable and
agreeable. Places for campers should be
provided and protected, and rules and regu-
lations should be enforced to prevent fires
and vandalism. More than half Of the visit
ors to the Yosemite valley come In their
own conveyances and camp out in the for
ests, often for a month or six weeks. Many
of these campers are farmers, who thus en-
Joy an outing after their harvests are over
and their fruit is picked. Many are young
men, students, clerks, bOokkeepers, me-
chanics and other wage earners from Cali
fornia towns who club together and hire
teams tents and the necessary outfits, and
rough IT, for a while. But at present they