Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-01-12
GOOD ROADS
NN'' COM CONVENTION
Draws a Big Crowd of Santa
Fe Trail Boosters
ROCKY FORD is WELL
REPRESENTED
Question of Transcontinental High
way Across the State Brings
Lively Tits Between
North and South

NOftn anu oOutH
The largest crowd of boosters
that has left this city in several
years was that which crowded the
special train to Pueblo on We'd
nesday afternoon. The reason for
the immense throng was that the
gentlemen were accredited dele
gates to the Colorado Good Roads
Convention in that city on Jan.l1.
and they were assembling thus
early to attend the annual meet
ing of the Arkansas Valley Com
mercial Association when plans
would be fully matured to carry
the battle to make the Santa Fe
Trail and Rainbow Route the
transcontinental highway across
the state-a question that was to
be settled in the Good Roads
Conference.
For this occasion the Santa Fe
ran special train from Holly on
Wednesday afternoon, and it was
crowded with the liveliest bunch
of Arkansas Valley boosters ever
gathered together.
One of the best banquets and
receptions ever granted to visitors
I'm Pueblo, under the auspices of
tie Pueblo Commercial Club, was
the most enjoyable feature of the
Arkansas Valley Commercial As
sociation meeting, which was held
at the Congress hotel oil We'd
nesday night.
At the Good Roads conference
yesterday the proposed trans
continental route through this
state developed one of the liveli-
est tits that have ever been wit
messed at convention in Oolora-
do. And the end is not yet, as the
battle-royal between the north
ern and southern sections contin-
ues today.
Three routes were proposed for
a trauscontinental highway across
the state: One of these, known as
the Santa Fe Trail and Rainbow
Route, leads west from Kansas
City through Pueblo and thence
on water grade up the Arkansas
and down the Gunnison on the
western slope. Another route
leads west from Colorado Springs
through Ute Pass, and across
South Park to Lesdville, thence
to Glenwood Springs by way of
Minturn and Eagle and thence to
Grand junction. Still third
route proposed leads from Denver
through Golden, Idaho Springs,
thence across the range to Lead
vile by way of Fairplay; to Aspen
thence down the Roaring Fork to
Glenwood Junction.
One of the greatest works ahead of the
people of Colorado at the present time
is the construction Of highway across
the state. Strange as it may seem. to
the resident OF the state, Colorado is
now regarded in both the east and the
west as an impossible barrier for trans
continental trip. Automobile log books is
sued by the Touring Club of America,
as well as by the Automobile Blue Book
Publishing company. the leading authori-
ties on roads in the country, do not reoog
nize Colorado as a state to be visited and
crossed over by automobile parties. The
only routes shown across the country
east and west are two, one of which
goes to the north of Colorado through
Wyoming. while the other crosses a
small corner OF the state in extreme
southeast and follows the line of the
Santa Fe railway to the west.
The great Panama Pacific exposition to
be held in San Franciso in 1915 is an
other great reason why Colorado needs
a transcontinental highway. The auto
mobile is becoming more popular each day
and each summer thousands of Americ-
ans spend their vacations in making
motor trips through the country. In lel5