Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-09-08
DENVER CHIEF
TOURIST TARGET
OF THE NATION
Sightseers Flock to Colorado
Capital, Gateway to Park
System.
WORSE THAN GOLD RUSH
By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

ne nation.
Hundreds Of thousands of tourists atm
for this point every year, many of them
to settle down for the entire summer
and others TO make the city their tenn
poTsry headquarters while they tour the
surrounding national parks and monu
ments
For Denver is the gateway to our
great national park system, the natural
entrance TO that vast western region
which the government has set aside
for the preservation Of trees and the
recreation Of the public
This season has brought an unusually
heavy rush of sfghtseers. so that the
hotels boarding houses and camps are
crowded to their utmost capacity: the
postal card and curio stands are doing
an unprecedented business. and the ko-
dak supply stores are getting way be
hind in their work of developing films.
The streets are filed with stran gers
from Oklahoma, Texas. Missouri, Ala
hama Georgia, New York and Pennsyl-
vania.
Some Of them wear their state pene
nants patrioticaiiy wrapped around their
arms, while others are easily placed By
their native infections
Parties with ishing tackle mingle with
parties carrying golf sticks and tennis
raeketS, while along nearly every curl,
are parked sight seeing automobiles,
gradually filling up With passengers.
The other evening an old man with a
white beard and bent shoulders stood on
a downtown street corner surveying the
crowd while waiting for street ear
Two cars, laden with tourists. had al
ready passed without stopping. and as
the writer approached, another car
swept seornf1lly By.
WORSE THAN
GOLD RUSH.
The old man looked helplessly about.
and then removing a broad -brimmed felt
hat, wiped the perspiration from his
wrinkled brow
"1y God" he muItered hoarsely, "the
gold rush was never like this -
Denver attributes its Overwhelming
popularity this year to the earthquakes
occurring at Los Angeles, which, It be-
Heyes, have frightened many tourists
away from California and sent them 60
Colorado
But inasmuch as The cloudbursts oc-
curing in Colorado have wrought good
deal more damage so far than the gentle
trem0rs experienced on the coast. we are
inclined to think that the tourist tide
has turned in favor of Denver. not be-
cause 1t is timid. but because Denver
makes things so pleasant for it.
In the first place one of the best su-
tomobile camps in the west is located
here in Denver, which was the first city
TO. recognize the needs Of the automobile
tourist and to provide a municipal camp
Ing ground for his comfort and conven-
fence.
A sixty acre tract beside Rocky Noun
tain lake st the edge Of the city has
been laid out and equipped for the free
use Of motorists who wish to pitch their
tents by the wayside.
There. under a protecting grove OF
trees, you can park your car and make
your camp without worrying about VA
ter and fuel, usually the most important
and irritating considerations IN choos-
ing a camp site, as these are supplied
by the city
In addition, there are electric cooking
ranges, shove. baths, a laundry ana
soft drink stand, while groceries are
delivered from the city, so that the
travelling motorist is able to rough It
With the same degree of ease that be
enjoys in dwelling in a city apartment
The only perquisites lacking are a
psTie auditorium and a department
store.
CAMP Is GREaT
DRAWING CARD.
This camp de luxe is naturally q great
drawing card to Tscationists touring the
country in their motor cars.
Last year It is estimated. total ri
4e7s cars were parked on the grounds
and more than 1900 persons took ad
vantage Of its facilities.
This year, according to tbs authorities,
it is accommodating almost twice as
many.
Another convenience maintained by the
city for the. benefit of visitors is tour
lists free information bureau, which
telGy you all about the places you should
see aud how to get there, and otherwise
acts as a sor: of combined Baedeker
and Cook service.
AS there are fourteen one-day trips
into the mountains and thirty Eight short
scenic, rail. trolley and auto trips to
points OF interest, the bewilderedA tour
ist is desperately In need OF such as
sistance.
Denver itself Possesses many special
features OF interest TO the sightsesr, but
with the Continental Divide dominating
the horizon of the city, the average tour
ist usually gives one look and then ex-
claims. Lead me to the mountains"
All the tallest Colorado peaks are
there in full view, with the exception
Of Pixies peak, which is concealed from
the average eye by distance and mist
but is always discernible TO the natives.
On a clear day, some Of the mountains
appear so near that you can almost count
the spruce trees on their purple sides,
but in unsettled weather they look like a
long, scalloped gray cloud barely WIS.,
ibie against the darker gray Of the sky.
PLENTY OF
PLACES TO GO
As a matter Of fact, the nearest ones
are fifteen miles away, and one Of the
shortest auto trips from Denver TO the
mountains covers seventy-fve miles and
takes half day.
This is the trip through the Denver
Municipal Mountain Park system, the
most popular OF all the fourteen noun
tain Journeys, leading first to the city
Of Golden, the old capital Of Colorado,
and the home Of the State School of
Mines, and thence up Lookout mountain.
Not until you reach Golden, which lies
at the foot Of the mountains, do you
realize how high they are and how ap-
parently tortuous the trail which your
automobile is going to ascend.
On the day we made trip as a mem
Der OF a tourist party organized at our
hotel. our hotel guide. usually a morose,
disappointed looking person, was for
Some reason in m exceedingly jubilant
mood.
He had a humorously fancy name for
every tree or rock that we passed. and
when We reached Golden he stopped the
car and began a satirieal account OF the
hazards we were about to face en- the
climb up Lookout mountain.
Unfortunately, however, the back seat
Of the car was occupied By a couDle of