The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-07-18
SPENDING THOUSANDS ON /
R0AOs Of NORTHWEST

dreds Of thousands of dollars viii
b. expended for road betterment In
the northwest as a result OF a trip
made over the national park high
way. from Chicago to Seattle and Ia
coma. by an official tour party. &C.
eording to Frank ". Guilbert of
Spokane. secretary of the National
Parks Highway association who was
at the head OF the party.
The Improvements. according to
Mr.. Guilbert. will be in the state of
Illinois. Wisconsin. Minnesota. North
Dakota. Montana. Idaho and Wash
ington. Our trip. which was fin
ished recently in Seattle and Taco
ma. the western termini of the high
way, demonstrated that the summer
route through the northwestern
states Is entirely feasible" states
Mr. Giulbert.
Everywhere We found the people
keenly interested in highway i'm
provement. Whenever we found a
piece of road that was not in good
condition, we called it to the atten-
ton of the proper authorities. who
promised to make the necessary
changes at once
This spring has brought the high
est waters since 1894, but our two
seven passenger automobiles made
the trip without mishap. We adj
hered closely to a schedule made in
advance, calling for daily meetings
in thirty-three cities and towns along
the route. The interest of the peo-
pie in good roads is attested by the
fact that from one hundred to one
thousand persons attended each of
these meetings.
During the trip we crossed
three ranges of mountains without
the slightest difficulty. In fact.
over the Rockies and the Bitter
Roots in Montana and the Cascades
III Washington, we found some of
The best roads on the entire 2672-
mile trip. East of Butte, where we
crossed the continental divide at an
elevation of nearly 1000 feet, our
cars were able to whirl along COM
fortably at 40-mile an hour pace.
Between Libby, Montana, and Bon
ners Ferry. Idaho, we crossed the
Bitter Roots over an excellent road
built by the United States forest
service and the counties through
which the highway passes.
Between Missoula, Mont. and
Spokane we found the finest see
merry. The Mission range of noun
tains, the st .Ignatius basin and the
Flathead lake country are the most
scenic bits of nature in the west
They lie ust as Nature made them.
only made accessible by a good road
Scores of times each day we were
forced reluctantly to pass tumbling
mountain streams filled with trout
For miles the road runs through
great forests of fir, cedar and tam
arack where it is cool in the hottest
days of summer. Between Libby
and Troy, in western Montana, a
wide road hangs dizzily to the cliffs
overlooking the deep kootenai river
canyon. Further east we skirted
Flathead lake. SO miles long and
Is miles wide. 1t is set among
snow-capped peaks, slopes are cover
ed with dense growth of trees and
shrubs. If such a lake were within
100 miles of large city, it would
be one of the worlds greatest sum-
mer resorts.
Continuing westward over good
roads through Spokane, Wenatchee
and Ellensburg, Wash, We crossed
the Cascades through Snoualmie
pass, whose greatest elevation is
1910 feet. There the elevation
state has built a splendid road on a
five per cent grade, to which King
county has connected permanent
highway leading down to Seattle
and Puget Sound.
I'VE do not recommend the Ma