The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-01-07
TELLS ABOUT HIS
EXPERIENCES AS A
WESTERN TOURIST
NATIVES ARE WILLING TO SELL
ANYTHING FROM FRESH AIR
TO A WHOLE MOUNTAIN

We are in receipt of the following
letter from j. G. Hicks who with
Mrs. Hicks, left here last month to
winter in sunny California.
Les Veyos, New, 12-26-19
Editor Banner-News:
A week has elapsed since we
entrained at Belding for southern
California. Our present surroundings
are the first real taste we have had
of good old summer time.7 To say
it's most enjoyable is putting it mild.
Our train, on the Pere Marquette got
us into Grand Rapids in time to miss
connections for Chicago and our train
on the Chicago division caused us to
think the many delays enroute to the
Windy City, we would surely make
another miss for our train over the
Burlington route to Denver, Colorado,
but through the kindness of our p M.
conductor, who was familiar with con-
ditions at the LaSalle depot, who help
ed us to get taxi on arrival there.
We got across to the Union station III
the very few minutes which we had
to spare, our reservation having been
made previous to our departure from
AAOAAACs VIC NCAC JdSb IdDly lO-
Gated in our sleeper, when the train
pulled away. From Belding to Den
yer was a continuous battle with real
winter, snow galore, and the wind
blew to beat "seven of a kind" pre-
venting the making up of any lost
time and each hour adding to the de-
tention which brought us into the
gate city of the Golden West, as Den
Hncinnafn1 K -
late to connect with the train over
route we travelled to Salt Lake City,
Utah.
At Denver, in fact quite some time
before we got to the city, the clear
blue sky, and bright sun shine on all
sides, made all passengers realize
that winter could have no terror in a
country where such a combination as
the two most powerful influences of
nature for comfort and for cheer ex-
listed in such beauty and force. Here
in this beautiful and wide awake city
of the Rocky mountain district the
traveller is first brought to the reali-
zation of class distinction, which on
many occasions in the past and pres
ent, have brought in its wake condi-
LiOllO lar lIOIll OdIiSldCIOI1. IlOWtNcI
this particular kind of class destinc-
tion is not of a troublesome nature,
being what is known as the Tourist
class, as the traveller or tourist as
they are classed, leave their trains
at this city, signs large and small are
displayed to apprise the new conner
of the fact that the west welcomed
them, and of a great desire to serve
kLA -. ,1N 80 - .x.Ls ~
satisfied the appetite but with a varie-
ty of what in many particulars can
justly be classed as Junk.
If an easterner gives the matter
any thought as he gazes on the lot of
trumpery on exhibition, to attract the
eye of tourists and if possible extract
from their pockets some coin of the
realm, they would be forced to exclaim
what does these western friends take
us for. Post cards, cents per dozen
Cushion tops, leather, embossed with
the most grotesque figures, flowers
and scenic effects which look as if they
might have been painted with a white
wash brush or had the contents of a
whole paint shop upset on them and
after being shook out were marked
Denver. Jewelry made from every
kIOWn IldleIldl, III COlOI 10 IlNdlf a
summer rainbow. One glance from
the tourist toward the show window
or side walk display and they are le-
gion, brings a vivicious clerk to the
spot, much like spider springs from
the secret recesses of its web, when
an innocent fly makes landing among
the meshes of its cunningly Devised
net The tourist being considered much
in the same light, as the fly is to the
spider and many are caught as effec-
ually.
The glorious west, the wild and
woody west. land of sunshine, flowers
gigantic mountains and canyons which
defy the pen of man to properly por-
tray climate which is cure for all
ills which mankind is heir to, and
deposits to rival the touch
of a Midas, citizens without number
who are ever on the alert to catch the
ear Of the tourist, and sell them gold
Continued on page eight