The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-31
AUTOS REPLACE
STAGE In PARKS
OF GOVERNMENT
Yellowstone Travelling Will
Be Made More Comfort
able by Innovation.

When the portals of Yellowstone
Park are thrown open for 1917 season
on June goth. the thousands of tour
lists who annually enter this play
ground. of natural wonders will find
a COMPLETE change in the transporta-
ton facilities of the park. More than
500 old stage coachesr relics OF p1on-
eer days and reminiscent Of many a
western romance, have passed into
the discard to be replaced by a great
fleet of luxurious ten and seven pas
senger touring cars.
The supplanting of the historic
stage coach by motors is a part of the
government plan to popularize the
national parks and make the 'See
America First slogan more tmpelllng
this year than ever before. While the
passing of the stage coach may be re-
garded in sentiment as loss, the
greater comfort and speed Of the mo-
tor cars will be recognized as a public
improvement.
BBy enabling tourists in a given
period of time to travel greater dis
tances in greater comfort than would
be possible with stage coaches, the
Transportation Company has made it
possible for tourists, on a compare
~
sers, terraces, canyons, waterfalls,
cascades, glaciers and other things Of
interest.
In addition to promoting the COM
fort of individuals, the new equip
ment will provide facilities for hand
ling twice as many tourists as were
previously handled in one season by
the stage.
Extraordinary attention has been
given to the design of this equipment,
the comfort Of passengers being con-
sidered without regard to cost. Me-
chemically the cars are development
of a type which has proved successful
in all of the large national parks and
mountainous regions. Special springs,
pneumatic tires and deeply upholster-
ed cushions are employed to insure
easy riding. Comfort is further en-
HANGED by the folding tops which al
low a. full view Of the scenery and at
the same time furnish protection, If
needed. In travelling between the no
tells in the park, passengers hand
baggage may be carried on the car in
which he rides, on special racks pro-
vided for this purpose.
In hotel accommodations no national
park surpasses the Yellowstone. Not
withstanding the fact that, some of
the hotels are 60 miles from the near
est railroad and more than one thou
sand miles from market of any size,
they are equal in cuisine, comfort and
size to any of the leading hostelries in
large cities. The Mammoth, Old
Faithful, Lake and Grand Canyon no.
tells, for example, can accommodate 500
to 700 guests at time, insuring a
metropolitan standard of service at
the end of each motor trip.
Although, the Yellowstone was first
opened to private motor traffic late
in 1915, thousands Of tourists in pri-
vately owned cars explored this treas
ure region last season. Still others en-
tered the park in cars which are Op-
Grated for the travelling public be-
tween Cody, Wyoming, and the Lake
Hotel There are 400 miles of roads
in the park, including the Jackson's
Hole Country, Jackson's Lake and the
Grand Teton mountains, $4,000 feet
high. 'sThe Greater Yellowstone, -
now accessible by the cars of the Vel
lowstone Transportation Company,
comprises 1000 square miles.
While motor vehicles have been a
great factor in making all Of the ma
C1Onal parks more popular, the pres
emit installations are merely a begin
| ming. Encouraged by their success
| full operation on the unimproved stage
routes, the Department Of Interior
which controls all the national parks
spent large sums to make the roads
smooth and safe; has erected bridges
| Of steel and concrete, and purchased
equipment for road maintenance. The
fharafnra n a
| in opening up and maintaining new
channels of exploration.
Nearly all of the park transporta.
ton companies are increasing theil
facilities. Yosemite was largely mo.
toriZed last season. Glacier Nationa
Park will be served by a. fleet of 81
ten passenger cars and Rocky Noun.
tain National (Estes) Park will also
! omen the season with thirty