The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-15
Dixie Highway Being
Made Ready For
Fla. Bound AutOiStS

Chattanooga, Tenn, April l5DIhe
tourist season in Florida now being
brought to a close has broken all
previous records in point OF num-
bers. The estimates of the rail-
roads, based on previous records
placed the number Of tourists from
other States at 100000. This is
considered conservative by many OF
the old residents of the state who
have been there since the influx of
tourists to that state began It is
conservative to say that in excess OF
$4,000 more reached tropical Florida
by automobile Garages in all of
the principal cities and towns have
been unable TO accommodate the
cars and have parked them on the
street and vacant lots.
These tourists, travelling by auto
mobile, have reached Florida over
Indifferent roads for the most part
and on detours around the places
they most desired to see Many Of
these same tourists have besieged
the office of the Dixie Highway As
ISOLATION and their representatives
to know if they could return over
the Dixie Highway, and if they
could tour back to Florida next year
in the car over a good road all the
way. This same question is being
asked by thousands of others who
went to Florida by train being ad-
vised of the condition of the high
way between their home and Florida
points.
The same conditions of a prosper
Gus country and American tourists
barred out of Europe together with
the increasing popularity of seeing
American thoroughly as it is only
possible by automobile, promises to
bring about a record-breaking year
with the resorts along the Michigan
Loop of the Dixie Highway. The
Southerners who would like to 90 to
the Michigan resorts this summer
by automobile are barred from do
ing SO by the same barriers on the
Dixie Highway which have prevent
ed the Northern tourists from reach
ing Florida during the winter sea-
son.
With the active cooperation of
the members of the Dixie Highway
Association in the various states,
these two barriers of about seventy
miles each will be removed in less
than twelve months. In Eastern
Kentucky between Cincinnati and
Knoxville, Tenn. the three noun
tain counties of kox, Rockcastle and
Laurel have the funds in hand and
have started actively on the work
Bell county has practically complet-
ed her stretch of the highway
through the Cumberlands of Ken
lucky. When this is completed, the
Eastern division of the highway
from Detroit to Miami, Fla, can be
travelled in comfort, as the work vet
to be done in the remaining coun-
ties to change the road from a mere
travelable one to first-class high
way will be completed in excellent
shape before that time.
Judge NJ NJ. Alliston, president of
the Dixie Highway Association. is
devoting much of his time toward
removing the barrier on the western
division of the highway between
Nashville and Chattanooga. When
this is done the western division
will be in good travelable condition
from Chicago to Florida. In the
event that the counties along the
present designation fail to comply
with their agreement, President AL
lison has been given authority to
relocate the highway between these
points. He has started out with the
determination to get the highway
open as early as possible.
A part of the work which is of
the highest Importance to the towns
and various counties in attracting
the tourist, is the thorough marking
of the highway. Many of the coun-
ties have secured their supply of
official copyrighted markers and are
now putting them up. Every coun-
ty which has not already done so is
being urged to take up at once the
question of securing the markers
with the Dixie Highway Association