Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-02
ALL SOUTHERN AND
 ALL YEAR ROAD IS
 ADVOCATED IN SOUTH
Old Spanish Trail Association the Name of Organization to Boost Highway Which Will Come Thru Cochise.

With the object of building an all southern and all the year automobile road along the southern boundary of the United States some 800 good road men met in Mobile. Ala, last week and effected an organization to carry through the proposition.
 The name adopted is The old Spar- ish Trail Association. and Messrs. Pal mer. Pillans and Stewart A. Le Blanc were respectively elected president and secretary. These are the Mobile gentlemen who conceived the idea of an automobile trunk line skirting the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Bor- der and induced the Rotarians of the south to get behind the plan until a convention could be called to assume the obligations of such an undertak- ing. Wce-presidents and directors rep resenting several states were chosen and methods adopted to at once open the route for travel over existing roads but the definite selection of the permanent route will be deferred un- til the completion of some important construction work which is now in progress in the south.
 Considerable interest was occassion- ed by the address of Harry Locke of Phoenix. Arizona, who is a field engi- neer of wide experience and the pub- fisher of a number of books of auto mobile road maps of western routes. Mir. Locke arrived by automobile in time for the meetings. having driven from California to Alabama on a road charting trip. It was due to his eff forts that the states of Texas. New Mexico. Arizona and California were definitely selected at this time as ter ritory to be crossed by the Old Span ish Trail though the routing through them will largely be left to NIT. Locke upon further investigation of road con ditions.
 Owing to climatic conditions and the topography of the country. The Old Spanish Trail will immediately spring into favor with motor tourists and be popular during the winters as well as in the summer. The Gulf coast is lined with resorts and attractions and is destined to become as great a playground for the automobilist as California.
 The history of the early Spanish, settlers is not confined to Florida but is evidenced by a great many places all the way to the Missions in Arizona and California and the sentiment inn piled in the name of this highway as sociation will not be entirely lost in any section travelled.
 The consummation of this meretor- ieus project will mean much to all of the communities along the routes and be an added stimulus to the betterment of road conditions wherever improved highways are not already provided. It is reasonable to presume that within two years motoring between Califor7 mia and Florida will be possible re- gardless of weather conditions. As fl, is now the roads are being travelled, locally in each community nearly ev cry day and many make the trip clear through, though up to now very me- gre data has been obtainable through the southern states. Had this asso1 citation been formed year ago and the conditions of the roads advertised a large amount of transcontinentai motoring would be going this way at this time.