The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-12-07
BALTIMORE TO AID
NATIONAL HIGHWAY
Route, With Baltimore Terminus,
Goes All The Way To West Coast

interest to Marylanders generally, but
more especial to residents of the sew
eral counties of the State through
which the Old National Road passes.
The Republican reprints the Sun ar
ticle in full as fallows:
Baltimoreans will be interested in
efforts of a nationwide scope to pop
ularize the old National Road, now
known as the Great National High
way, which has its eastern terminus
in this city. The Merchants and Man
ufacturers' Association tentatively
has joined issue with boards of trade
and similar organizations along the
routs of the old pike" with the idea
of advertising the advantages of the
highway as tourist highway.
A meeting is to be called shortly to
be attended by delegates from per
haps a dozen cities and commercial
units east of the Mississippi to organ
ize for the purpose outlined above
Where this conference will be held
has not been decided yet, but efforts
will be made to have the first session
either in this city or in st. Louis,
Mo.
Harrison Hatton, of Chicago, an ex-
pert in road development, in a letter
to the Merchants and Manufacturers
Association, makes plain the advan-
tages which might accrue to Mary
land and Baltimore through joining
up with the movement to bring into
prominence the National Highway.
Mr.. Hatton has made a study of
recent similar movements to popular
ize other national roads and he makes
the observation that:
"The annual tourist crop in the
United States is larger in dollars
than the corn crop"
Accompanying his letter was a
chart of the road to St. Louis and a
larger map showing how the original
National Pike connects with a more
or less improved highway clear across
the country to Los Angeles and
known in the West as the Santa Fe
Trail.
Only a comparatively small section
in Indiana, east of the Mississippi. i;
unimprOved by hard roadbed, and tbs
is said to be in good passable COM
ton. The distance from Baltimo.,
or Washington, to the Pacific coast
by the route is 3,134 miles.
Mr.. Hatton, writing of the high
way, says:
"The National Road is the most di-
rect and best paved route on the
American continent between the Mis-
sissippi river and Atlantic tidewater;
also by far the most historic route in
the United States; from the point of
view of picturesqueness and colorfuI-
ness, a road of a thousand lures to the
traveller. The National road, dreamed
of by Washington and protected by
jefferson, Gallatin and Henry Clay;
laid out like a railroad by federal en-
gineers a hundred years ago; was the
first and only federally constructed
road for period of about hundred
years in the history of this country.
For a period of thirty-fve years it
was a live issue at every session of
the American Congress.
individual States, since the advent
of the automobile, have spent millions
Of dollars paving their portions. Only
last year Illinois completed its great
work Of paving this route with ce-
ment from point just east of st.
Louis, Mo, to the Indiana State line
near Terra Haute.
Indiana has just finished building
new concrete bridges across the State
from indianapolis to Richmond. Ohio
now has the road in splendid condition
and there is no finer drive anywhere
for the automobilist than that section
leading from Columbus to Wheeling,
West Va, thru rolling country OF
rare attractiveness, where, from the
top Of easy hills, a driver can gaze
straight down the road for stretches
of from three to five miles.
pennsylvania has placed its short
portion coming down through old
Washington, Brownsville and Union
town, in fine shape. From Uniontown,
Pa, through Cumberland to Hagers-
town, Md, the road comes through
the beautiful timbered passes of the
Alleghenies. Maryland has paved ev-
cry foot of the road, and this year
has widened the original paving.
"The National road should be and
can be made the best-known automo-
bile route in the entire United States.
The route has a combination of his
toric, scenic and driving attractions
unrivaled in this country. 1t leads
from the capital of the nation and the
port of Baltimore, through the heart
of the natien for 821 miles to the lar
gest city on the great Mississippi
river, st. Louis, Missouri. 1t taps