The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-12-30


however, another way in which YER
mont might prepare for summer
trade with great profit, and that is
in the establishment of line of up
to date hotels connected with a belt
line of good roads.
People must recognize. the great
change in travel that has been effect
ed by the growing use of the automo
bile. Travel is no longer confined to
valleys traversed by a railroad but
will go anywhere where there are
sufficient attractions. Good scenery,
good places to stop and good lines of
communication form the attractions
that will draw the automobilists.
With an automobile at his command
the tourist does not wish to make
long stops at one point. Like the
humming bird he wants to dash
from beauty spot to beauty spot, take
a sip of its pleasure and move on t.
new fields. So the longer this line %
pleasure can be made in the State OF
Vermont the longer will the tourist
stay within its borders, and the great
er will be the profit to Vermonters.
At present too little of the terri
tory of Vermont is opened to the au-
tomobile tourist. The greater por-
ton of nonresident tourists visit
Manchester on the west side, cross
over to Woodstock on the east side
and then take the shortest route out
of the State. An excellent hotel at
each place and the scenic route be-
tween the two places are the attraC-
tons that secure this travel. The
value of this travel is shown in the
success of these two hotels and in
the general increase in value of real
estate in their immediate vicinity.
In Manchester farms that were plac-
ed in the grand list at 81 900 and
$1,000 dozen years ago are now in
the list at from $4,000 to $4,000.
This increase in value has been made
by people coming to the hotel and
liking the location so we'll they
bought property and built fine sum-
mer homes there. The hotel and its
success has transformed the place
from decadent town into an up-to-
date and thriving Vermont COM
munity. While the increase in value
of outside property has not been so
great in Woodstock it has been con-
siderable and the demand for desir-
able home sites there is constantly
increasing.
With these examples before us it is
easy to see the value of a route up
the west side of the State to Burling-
ton, across from there via Stowe and
Morrsville, to st. Johnsbury and
from here to Lake Memphremagog or
into the White Mountains. This route
would reach some of the finest seem
cry to be found in the State. Mt.
Mansfield could be visited and the
view from Walden heights and in
Danville of the Green Mountains on
one side and the White Mountains on
the other is one that can not be du-
plicated elsewhere. From st. Johns
bury there are several very attrac-
tive side trips and an hours run
would take the tourist into the White
Mountain region, or a trip to New
port would furnish attractions that
could not fail to please any lover of
natural beauty.
One requisite would be good hotels
with rooms with baths connected at
proper distances along the route.
There are already good hotels a:
Rutland, Middlebury, Burlington, Wa
terbury, and a fair one at Morrisvilla
The natural division of the trip from
Burlington to ST. Johnsbury would
be a good hotel at Stowe with better
accommodations on Mt. Mansfield.
Then to complete the link a better
hotel in st. Johnsbury would might
ly increase the attractions Of the
route. So the Importance of the new
hotel project here that is being dis
cussed becomes apparent.
Another necessity is a line of high
way good enough to please the tour
lists and this is not so difficult a
problem as might at first appear. 1t
does not mean macadam roads over
the whole route but a rebuilding of
the poorer sections and a good sys-
TEN of repairs for the rest of the
route. So the matter of good roads is
a feasible possibility
Another thing that could not fail
to be beneficial would be an organize
cooperation of the town authorities
and residents along the whole line to
devise ways and means and to form
an effective force for the accomplish
ment of this work.
Under present conditions the
scheme seems desirable and If wisely
managed sure of success. 1t is GER
tainly worthy of serious thought AMI
If deemed wise should be promptly
and intelligently advocated.
SCALE PRACTICALLY GONE.