Semi-weekly herald., 1912-04-01
THE 1,0oo-MILE
ROAD MEANS TO US

Louis wyman, Thomas Tulley, Otto
Mears, William Myler, and few more
road builders are working hard to
get scenic highway built through
this part of the state, and as a good
--.Aary people, who ought to be inter-
!. ested, do not seem to know what they
tare driving at, or the kind of oppo-
sition they meet, this will be good
time to tell them about it. This is a
good time to discuss the question, be-
cauee the San Juan boosters who are
going to Denver will try to show the
chamber of commerce what a great
advantage such a highway will be to
the state, and the people in the San
Juan district will watch their effcrta
with more interest if they fully un-
derstand what their success or fail
ure means to US.
We think it is generally known that
the last state legislature passed a
law giving the state highway COM
mission control of all state roads and
all the money that is used in building
them. We think it is also pretty gen.
orally known that the validity of that
law has been questioned because the
senate tally sheet does not show who
voted for and against the bill. That
question is now before the supreme
court, and the prospects are it will
be decided this week. If the court
decides that the law was legally pass
ed, there will be about $4,000 in state
money available for building roads in
The San Juan district this summer,
and that fact alone is of considerable
Importance to our people in these
hard times. But a matter of far
greater Importance is where the roads
shall be built. Shall the money be
e: peLded in building 1,00O-mile cir
Gle scenic highway from Denver down
through Alamosa and Durango and
back through Silverton, Ouray and
Grand Junction, which is the route
our crowd is working for, or will
the crowd that is opposing us succeed
in having most of the states money
expended in building the so-called
Sunset route, which runs straight
across the state from Pueblo to Grand
Junction. That is the question our
crowd is going to Denver to settle,
and they are going there prepared to
prove that the circle scenic highway
is the one Denver should help us to
get.
They realize that they will meet
with strong opposition, for the men
from Sahda, Gunnison and Canon City
who are working for the Sunset route
are well organized and well financed,
and they are not without an argu-
ment. A good automobile road is
already built from Kansas City to
Pueblo, and they claim that by extend
ing that road west across the state
good deal of travel will be attracted
this way. Our crowd will admit, of
course, that a good road straight
across the state will attract good
many travellers to Colorado, but, they
Argue, such travellers will go right
$again and do the state no good.
They argue that most tourists come
to Colorado to fish in our crystal
streams, to hunt wild game in our
and to view our wonderful |
scenery. They are going prepared to
prove that the circle scenic road
through the beautiful San Juan, which |
they propose, will give tourists
chance to catch more fish, to hunt |
more game, and to view more mag
nificent scenery than can be found in |
Switzerland or in any other country,
and they will try to convince the
chamber of commerce that no other
road can be built that. will do more
to build up Denver and make the
whole state prosperous. The business
men of Denver have always claimed
that they are anxious to help us, and
next Friday when they meet the San
Juan boosters at the banquet they
will be given a chance to prove it. |