Pueblo chieftain., 1921-06-03
BY Freder.e J. Haskin.

washington. D. c. May si-More
than million Americans Will spend
their vacations in the Rockies this
year. according TO an estimate by
Stephan T. Mather Of the National
Park Service. who SAYS that the gov
srumc1t. the railroads. and the auto
moht-s associations are cooperating to
make these vacations as inexpensive
and pleasant As possible.
Reduced rates in the government
hotels in the National Parks and
great improvements In tho reads aud
trails throughout the National Parks
and Forests are the government con-
trioutions. Tho railroads are Offering
reduced round trip rates to points in
the Rockies The automobile assccia-
lions are ready to tell the autcist Row
% reach his chosen destination over
tHc best roads
These frst aids 20 modern ar=onnuts.
and the growing number of ihcse who
take advantage OF them are evidence
that tho Rocky Mountain playground
is coming into its own as a conservator
of the public heaith and a means OF
keeping tho Americans or tho great
eastern cities in touch with the prinl-
itlyc.
II will probably ho another genera
tuu or 30 before tho American people
fully realize what boon they have In
the great governmcr L controlled areas
" I'D natural playground larger than
most of the European states, which
will always remain public play
Erouud-at least a. lnnE our goY-
crumerf stands There Us nothing else
Ike Il IN the world.
More Room NEEDED
cf course. there are other natural
playground areas in the United states
which are deliEhtfui-New England,
coastal resorts, the pcconoE. But
these are to the Rockies a. postage
stamp o1 a large envelope. Every no.
tel and camp In them Is filled 20 ca
pacity every year. and every year the
crowd SLOWS Furthermore. only small
parts Of these areas ar. sfstc-owned.
which means that wealthy persons
have bought up large parts Of them
and converted them into private hunt
lax and fishing preserves. The areas
where tho poor man may wander free.
and DO as he pleases, are restricted.
In the Rockies a different order
obtains n you viii look az "a man OF
tho west. you will see that from Dem
YER 70 Frisco, and from the Canadian
border 20 tho Mexican border. about a
thlrd of the whole country Is covered
with large green spots indicating ma
uonai forests and parks This means
that all OF these rrcen-tlrted areas
belong TO the people of the United
state az a whole. and arc free 10 All
n them on ruuai terms. In the nation
al forests, open land along stream
may he homcEtcadcd or renfs~ iron,
the government but tho forest iauda.
which form hy FAR tho greater mart
of the area. are open 10 all on the
sam" terms Any ono may rcut a patcn
of ground big enough n build him a
summer home upon. but he cannot
control any large areas Of Land.
Sab
where h. plcsses. provided only he
nhrys the fFh and game laws and
does his part 10 prevent foreS, fires.
And the area thus op-n TO an who
seek Erurt. health. rest is enough 10
comm odatc ail the vacationirt- of /.
nation twice as large as ours. some
parts pf this area are At present slrro..
uneNplored Mos, Of it i- mountain
for-st. which can never bo conver,sd
into cities or farms. This is a perrna
nrut wilderness which has been tax,
in hand by q great government before
Industry had a chance tn destroy l,s
farosts or private wealth to mcnopoiias /
itr charms.
The NEGLECTED. Rookie.
Distance and inaccessihiHty have
kept eastern Americana out Of fbs
Rpr siez ever since their discovery
They have always been thought Of in |
tho ess' a. something remote. yyiid |
ard u-0o1fh II m almost exactly fn6 l
ears since tho FIRST white men nrra. /
trated into the Rockies hy v,y ~
= hat later became the Santa Fe trail /
And g is lsss than half cenf,ir,
s'nce y bacane possible TO reach them
~ raiiroad. Even after tho railroads /
had crossed tho continent. Caiifor,i, /
with its charming climate and rrse, |
Industrial opportunities gained vastly
more ny them than the Rockies did !