New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-08-06

which SllOUO was expended last winter. ffop'
ably there's nothing finer of its kind in the r"uh-
try. Yet Rocky Mountain makes a gap: you can
get In by motor on the east. south and west pu'
you can't get through the park until the Fall River
road across the continental divide is hnisheu'
possibly this fall.
From Rocky Mountain it's easy travelling straight
north to Cheyenne, Wyo. on the Lincoln highway
Here you go northwest on the Yellowstone high'
way via Casper. Thermopolis and Cody to the east
entrance of Yellowstone.
There are 300 miles of automobile highway In
Yellowstone, with exits on all four sides OF the
square. Mr.. Wcstgard will 90 IN ut the east and
go ont AT the north. From Gardner he VIII head
north for Glac'er in riie northwest corner of Mon
tana. up against the Canadian line.
And so it goes all around the 4.OOOImile circle
easy ira yelling here. hard going there and every
now and then n zap. There's one of these gaps
in Mount Rainier and another In Crater Lake
that Is. Mr.. Westgard can drive into both, hui
can't drive through until projected ronds are built.
He will be lucky IL he gels into l.assen Volcanic
at all. Congress established this park In 1915,
but with lis usual hapzard national park policy has
appropriated no money for it yet. The roads into
THE other three California parks are excellent
and more are being built.
From California the Santa Fe trail Will take
the pathfinder back 10 Denver, via Zion, Grand
Canon and Mesa Verde.
Director Matler of the national park service
is an enthusiast. He gets "A salary Of $500 a
year and has already spent more than 100000
on the parks out Of his own pocket. And one OF
his particular national park enthusiasms is this
National Park-to-Pnrk highway. Last summer he
did over 1000 miles OF pathindlng in his own car.
In his 1919 report he has considerable TO say on
the question of inter park tourist travel by auto
mobile. Here are some of the things he says:
1.-THE prospects for the establishment OF the Ma
tlonal Park-to-Park highway as u great system OF
interstate routes In the West have grown brighter
almost daily since the opening Of the past touring
season. There Is now u wide demand for the
highway. where prior to this year Its importance
was seen by relatively few communities, most OF
which were on direct routes TO the national parks.
and had unusual opportunities TO observe its
growing volume of motor travel.
MANY OF the sections OF any i%nterpark highway
system are, of course, so situated az to naturally
require no special designation. and in such cases
The roads are either being repaired or plans for
their Improvement are under way. On the other
hand. in several states there are numerous routes
that might. be selected as sections OF The system,
and 1t Is necessary to choose one or two routes
for special attention IL the funds available are
not to be spread thinly and inefectively over all
such roads.
"I should point out again the fact that some
links of any complete park-to- park system of high
ways may have TO be constructed by the federal
government without state cooperation. In GER
tain states through which the highway would run
most of the land belongs TO the federal govern
ment. In such cases, particularly where the road
would be used principally by motorists on route
TO the national parks from all parts of the United
States, II would seem that the federal government
would be under the obligation of defraying the
cos. Of such sections Of the interpark system"
Last spring. long before his nois:nation at Chi
cago. Senator Harding was in Denver and In an
address at a Mile High club luncheon. March 10,
he said In part:
81 like the slogan See America First We
ought to link our national parks with the best Of
motor highways. | shall never be content until
| can motor from this beckonlng gateway to glor-
ious America. as portrayed in her national parks,
over a circuit of our national parks. We are so
vast. so varied. so physically beyond compare. that
it is good TO think of America first and know
America first and do the practical things which
prosper America first"