The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-07-05
HARD KNOCK FOR
MIDLAND TRAIL
(From Times, Evanston, wyo.)

N'iOH lines, EVANSTON, Wy0.)
Mr.. X. Schomberg, of 692 10th
street, Milwaukee Wis, who spent the
winter in Los Angeles, and passed
through Evanston Monday evening in
his Packard auto en- route home from
there, reports on the actual condition
of the so-ealled Midland Trail, which
report follows:
Mr.. sehomberg is travelling with
his wife and two children and com
plete camp outfit. lie left Los Ange-
les Saturday, June IA, and came north
through Tonopah and Ely, New, and
at the latter point met Mr.. Hogge, sec
retary of the Ely Commercial club and
good roads booster, who directed him
east over the Midland Trail south Of
Great Salt Lake and into Salt Lake
City and he stated to Mr.. Schomberg
that the trail was thoroughly marked.
Mr.. Sehomberg left Ely at o'clock in
the morning, carrying extra water
and gasoline and equipped for all
emergencies and found the new road
pretty fair for about twenty miles,
but after that he found no marking
whatever and the trail nothing but un-
travelled sagebrush land. About thirty
miles out on the road he came to a
fork with no directions whatever and
taking the wrong road found himself
at p. m. nearly a hundred miles off
the trail and on the road leading into
Currie, New. He there inquired and
succeeded in getting back on the trail
and came on into Salt Lake City. Mr..
Schomberg is an experienced motorist
but says that never in his life has he
been directed over such a road and
under such conditions. There is
stretch of nearly two hundred and
fifty miles where a tourist is without
any means at hand in case of needing
assistance and one stretch of over six
ty miles where there is neither house.
habitation or water hole.
At Salt Lake City he talked with
Mr.. Rishel, of the Utah Auto, club and
who is boosting the Midland Trail
road conditions, and Mr.. Rishel posi-
lively assured him that the road was
good and well staked, but on being
pinned down had to admit that he had
never been over the entire route and
that he knew nothing of the stalking
of the road except that he had the
stakes painted and sent them out to
the nearest ranchers with request that
the put the stakes up. Mr.. Schom-
berg was wise to this, as he had made
inquiries at every ranch passed, and
they were few and far between, and
they told him that the stakes had
been sent to some of them but there
were not stakes enough and so they
had put in a few where they thought
best. but most of the trail and cross
roads were unmarked.
Mr.. Schomberg strongly expressed
his opinion that il was a crime to
direct an autoist travelling with
family and small children over such a
route as the Midland Trail south of
Salt Lake, when there is another and
better road north of the lake, which
passes through towns and settlements
at frequent intervals. He said the
proper place for such men as Hogge
and Rishel. who direct autoists to use
such roads is the penitentiary or other
secure places instead of being per
mitted to run at large.
Wyoming is certainly in the lead
with road matters now. We have our
roads in good shape and are getting
the "dope" on these Utah and Colo
RADIO boosters who are shouting for
roads of which they know nothing
and making false representations re
gardng the same, and the sooner the
tourists find this out,
and remain on the older and well
marked roads, just that soon will their
trips be a success and free from hard
ships and dangers such as Mr. Schom-
berg encountered