The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-09-04

which $4,000 expended last winter. Prob
ably there's nothing finer of its Kind in the coun-
Try Yet Rocky Mountain makes a gap; you can
yet in by motor on the east south and west. but
you can't get through the park until the Fall River
ROAD across the continental divide is finished
possibly this fall.
From Rocky Mountain its easy travelling straight
north 10 Cheyenne, Wyo. on the Lincoln highway.
Here you so northwest the Yellowstone high
way via Casper, ThermOpolis and Cody to the east
entrance of Yellowstone
There 300 miles of automobile highway in
Yellowstone, with exits on all four sides of the
square. Mr. WestGard will 60 in at the east and
80 out at the north. From Gardner he will head
north for Glacier in the northwest of Mon
tnna. up against the Canadian line.
And so it goes all aroInd tine 4000-mile circle
easy travelling here, hard going there and every
now and then gap. There's one of these gaps
in Mount Rainier and another in Crater Lake
that is, Mr. WeStgard can drive into both, but
can't drive through until projected roads are built
He will be lucky if he gets into Lassen Volcanic
at all. Congress established this park in 1916,
but with its usual hapZard national park policy has
appropriated no money for it yet. The roads into
the other three California parks excellent
and more being built.
From California the Santa Fe trail will take
the pathfinder back Denver via Zion, Grand
Canon and Mesa Verde.
Director Mather of the national park service
is an enthusiast. He gets salary of $500
year and has already spent more than 100000
on the parks out Of his pocket. And Of
his particular national park enthusiasms is this
National Park-to-Park highway. Last summer he
did over 1000 miles of pathtindng in his ear.
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:
The prospects for the establishment of the Ma
tiona Park toPark highway great system of
Interstate routes in the West have grown brighter
almost daily since the opening of the past touring
season There is now IA wide demand for the
highway. where prior to this year its lportance
by relativel! sew communities. most of
which were on direct routes to.the national parks
and had unusual opportunities observe its
growing volume Of motor travel.
MANY Of the sections of any interpark highway
system are, Of course, so situated to naturally
require special designation. and in such cases
the roads are either being repaired plans for
their Improvement under way on the other
hand in several states there humorous routes
that might be selected sections of the system,
and it is necessary to choose one or two routes
for special attention if the funds available are
not to be spread thinly and neflectiyely over iii
such roads.
II should point ont 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
nent. In such cases, particularly where the road .
would be used principally by motorists en- route .
70 the national parks from all parts Of the United .
States, 1t would seem that the federal government .
would be under the obligation of Gefrayng the
cost of ouch sections of the interpark system"
Last spring, long before his nol,ination at Chi
ago, Senator Harding in Denver and in an
address at Mile High club luncheon. March 10,
ne said in part:
II 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 reckoning gateway to gor-
Gus America. as portrayed in her national parks
over circuit of our national parks. We are so
Tast, so varied, so physically beyond compare that
t is good to think Of America first and know
America first and do the practical things which
prosper America first"