The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1911-06-30
FORESTRY WOULD ASSIST
STATE IN BUILDING ROAD
Officials Will Cooperate With the
State or Counties in Road
Building.

Transcontinental automobile tour
lists, of whom there will be many
thousands in future years, especial
ly in 1915, during the Panama-Pa-
cific exposition, Will find at least one
thoroughly good road from east to
west through this state, according.
TO A. F. Potter, assistant to Chief
Forester Graves, of the United
states forestry service at Washing
ton. Associate Forester Potter has
just returned from an extended trip
through central and western Colo
rado, in company with Smith Riley,
forester of the second district, with
headquarters in Denver.
Possibilities for an autom obile
road across Colorado are grand
said Mr.. Potter at Rileys office in
the Majestic building yesterday.
The forestry service stands ready
and willing to cooperate with tho
state or the several counties in the
construction of such a road insofar
as the highway will traverse any OF
the national forests. l have inves-
tigated two routes, either of which
is feasible from the point of view
of grades, and has the necessary
scenic attractivene to make it
alluring to tourists.
The first of these starts west,
ward from Colorado Springs, over
Ute Pass 1t traverses the Lead
vile and Holy Cross forests for
many miles, and could be made into
magnificent road for the entire
distance to Glenwood Springs, 200
miles away. In fact this road is in
fair condition now with practically
no attention from the state.
The other route that | have in
mind is also by way of Colorado
Springs, utelizing the new convict
labor road to Canon City and Sa-
Ida. Turning southwark at Sa-
Ida, the proposed road would go
through the Cochetopa forest and
skirt the Gunnison forest to Delta.
BY a short side automobile trip the
tourist could visit the great Uncom-
pahgre or Gunnison tunnel, and the
scenery for the entire trip is sim
ply grand. This road would connect
with the road from Glenwood
! Springs at Grand Junction, and the
marvellous fruit country in the val
ley of the Grand above Grand June
tion could be visited by a short side
trip. There is an old government
road along this route and it is
feasible for automobiling now. Mr..
Riley and l rode horseback over
the ground last week"
Mr.. Potter will investigate sew,
eral other trans-Colorado automo-
bile routes during his visit to this
state, with whose typography he
extremely familiar, although n
Washington man. Among these will
be possible western connec-
ton with the convict labor road now
being built from Denver to Ever
green Also through route to
Leadville, by way of Idaho Springs
and Berthoud pass will be looked
into, but Mr.. Potter at this time
is inclined to favor the Ute pass
route, which in addition TO includ-
ing much famous scenery, could bo
converted into a splendid road with
minimum of labor and expense.
The service is endeavoring to
develop the forests for public use"
said Mr.. Potter yesterday. We
are encouraging mining and the
development of our water power re-
sources in the forest, and are ask
ing the railroads, especially in the
southwest. to build feeders to tap
large belts of timber now inaccess-
able.
The above article appeared in
the Denver Republican Tuesday.