Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-18
The New Pilgrims
BY Frederic 7. Haskin

Washington, D. c., July 14.-An
autoist who stopped for the night at
certain small rural hotel In south
ern New England few weeks ago
was amazed at the number Of cars IN
It's garage, and the wide variety OF
their license tags. Being an observ-
ant autoist, he decided to make an In.
ventory of them, with the result that
he discovered cars from every state
In the union except four.
There was nothing unusual about
the situation-no special cause 10
bring all Of those motor pilgrims to
that particular place. or course,
southern New England Is the autoists
favored running ground. but an equal
~ representative gathering might
have been found at some point along
the Santa Fee trail, or in Yellowstone
National park or the North Carolina
Alleghanies, or any one Of number
Of other picturesque sections Of the
United States.
This Is a touring year In America,
and the significance Of the fact is diff
ficult to over-estimate. For many years
the number of persons who set out IN
their own machines to see their own
country has been doubling annually
Also, in other years. great numbers
have gone to Europe to tour; but this
year that field has been closed and
the auto pilgrim has literally overrun
his native land. greatly to the benefit
both of himself and the people of his
own country. ",@,
In the first place, we are all gettins
better acquainted. This wide wand
ering across and I'M and down the con.
tinent does more than any other thing
to wipe out the provincial lines be-
tween east end west and north and
south. to make nation of us. And
pepging along the roads, stopping
where night falls. getting acquainted
with the people and the country by
first hand contact will accomplish
more along this line in summer than
year of observation car travel. o.,
Again. this gasoline travel is cart
ing large quantities of money from the
centers of population to places where
Many a backward county has dated Its
rise to a new prosperity from the time
it oDered a good country pike. Tour
st business is estimated to bring New
England hundred million dollars a
year, and over third of that is
brought by the autoists. The west and
the northwest are also getting their
shares. The country town that sup
ports one small grocery store and
three large garages is becoming COM
mon. The south is rapidly getting In
on the good thing. Florida has fine
set of roads already, and the other
southern states are building them
About three thousand cars made the
run south last winter. The men who
know say the number will multiply by
about five when there are good roads
all the way. @t- .,'- r. - a.,
The things that attract the tourist
are getting to be recognized as import.
ant assets, just like oil wells and coal
mines and timber Principally, there
are four: roads, hotels, historical In
terest and scenery. Any county that
can produce and properly advertise
these things has made its fortune.
Roads and hotels can, Of course, be
produced artifcially almost anywhere,
but unless one or both of the other
elements are present or in the vicin'
ity, these will not avail much. The
American tourist wants, good going,
good living, and something to 60 for
His favorite objective taking him by
and large, is a place Of historical In
teresa battlefield, one Of the log
cabins where Abraham Lincoln: was
born. the spot where Stonewal Jack.
son fell the ruins of jamestown, or
the place where Pocahontas saved the
life of Captain John Smith. A large