Mohave County miner., 1913-05-10
National Old Trails Road.

of good roads, and when the delegation
 of good roads boosters returned last
 Saturday evening from Kansas City
 they were met at the train by great
 outpouring of the people that offered
 their congratulations to those respon'
 sible for putting the town, and in fact
 northern Arizona on the map. And
 that they are on the map is evidenced
 by the receipt of large numbers of the
 official map of the Old Trails Road
 across the country from New York by
 way of Washington to San Francisco.
 Returning with the party were Dr.. J. R. Whitesides, Allen E. Ware, H.
 H. Watkins, Ike Bartho!J new, Chas. Granger, Thomas Devine, E, A. Shaw, Judge c. G. Krook, Anson H. Smith, J. E. Perry, and James Uncapher. John c. Potts and R. P. Wheelock re- mained east on business.
 The mem bers of the returning party report that in accordance with the constitution each of the states repre- sented held meetings in Kansas City and agreed on a routing of the Old Trails road west of Santa Fe, that part of the route not having been adopted. Arizona and California agreed without division for the route through north ern Arizona, by which all the scenic wonders may be reached, while New Mexico's delegation was divided, three favoring the Fl Paso route, two noncommiltal, and seven favoring the route through Gallup to a connection with the northern Arizona route near St. Michaels. No minority report was made by any of the three states, and when the resolution favoring the adoption of the northern route was offered by Anson H. Smith it was unanimously carried. During the de- claring of tho result delegate from New Mexico, who had been outvoted in the state convention, wrathfully in- jected himself on the convention and through suifrance was heard through his tirade against the route to the Pa cidc coast that the convention had just unanimously agreed to support for an appropriation before con rresS. The man acknowledged frankly that he lived at a place called Deming, some where down near the border of old Mexico where he had some real estate that he would like to sell to visitors to that place. and that he did not believe in allowing them to rush across New Mexico without calling at his town and leaving some of their wealth there. Despite this objection Pres. Lowe stated that he was compelled to declare the vote unanimously in favor of the adoption of the route and that the western end of the Old Trails Road would become part of the constitu- tion to be urged upon congress as the first of the great roads of the country to be built.
 The work of the delegates from Ari- zona, California and New Mexico showed to great advantage against the deep laid plot of the southern people, who had engraved upon the minds of the members of the Old Trails Roads Association the belief that no other route was possible across the country but that by way of Fl Paso and the border land of Mexico. While admit ting that the scenic grandeur of the north part of Arizona and western New Mexico was worthy of a visit they waived it aside with the declara. tion that it was but short side trip from their route. The boosters for the northern route, on the other hand. impressed the convention with their earnestness and honesty, and when they showed the northern route to be the most feasible, hundreds of miles shorter and had sentiment and scenic beauty all along it's pathway they readily accepted it as the official route. | It was also impressed on the conven. ton that the horrors of the desert from Phenix by way of Yuma and the | Salton sea was entirely eliminated by crossing the country through the San Francisco plateau and over the verdure clad sections of northern Arizona and the volcanic mesas of eastern Califor. nia. By this route the old missions of California are reached, as well as is