The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-26
ILLINOIS WITH
129 is SECOND
in AUTO CAMPS
California Leads States In Number
of Municipal Camping Grounds
for Tourists.
BY LEON A. DICKINSON.
Manager Touring and Transpor-
tat5on Bureau. American Auto

taLtO4 DuES&4s kAlAEhACaA Aabe-
mobile Association.)
One of the most remarkable out
growths of the new fad Of motor
camping lies in the establishment
of vast number OF municipal and
semi-priyate camping grounds in
all sections of the country for the
comfort and convenience Of the
rapidly increasing army Of motor
campers.
When it became evident that this
new form of outdoor recreation
was destined to attain a degree OF
importance not dreamed Of few
years ago, some of the more pro-
gressIve communities in the west
ern states saw the commercial pos
sibilities involved and determined
10 try for their share of the tour
its trade by establishing ready
made camping grounds as near as
possible TO the business center or
the town in each case.
Many of these municipal camp
sites were sponsored by the local
Chamber of Commerce, though oc-
casionally the movement had its in
ception in automobile clubs, and
even, in some cases, they were in
augurated by the town authorities
themselves
The first camps established nat
urally were somewhat crude and
deficient in everything but the fun
damentals of successful camping,
such as water, frewood and some
form of outdoor oven or CRATE.
Development of Rivalry.
As the number of camping mo-
florists increased, however, the COM
paiities became much more keen,
with the result that many addition
al conveniences were added.
First one town and then another
added rest houses and comfort sta
tions to their camp sites, while 9TH
ers went still further and installed
such things as completely equipped
kitchenettes, laundries with cleo
trio washing machines and irons,
tent floors, electric lights, gas for
cooking and lighting. filing sta
tons, supply stores, and even free
touring information bureaus.
Recently two independent inves-
LEGATIONS were made to determine
the number and distribution of
these municipal camping grounds,
one of them by the American Auto
mobile association. The composite
results of the inquiries show that
there are in the country today 1850
OF these prepared camp sites, and
new ones are being established so
rapidly that it is safe to predict
that the grand total will pass the
1000 mark before the 1929 touring
season is over.
An analysis of the distribution of
these camp grounds shows Califor-
MA leading all the states, with d
grand total of 16S. Next comes
Illinois with 129, followed closely
by Iowa and Kansas with ITO and
los camp sites respectively.
Broadly speaking, the middle
west excels in this new feature, be-
cause practically every state in this
group contains at least so of these
camp grounds, and nine of them
have IS or more.
As yet the movement has made
very little Roadway in the east,
most of the states in this latter
group having less than 10 estab-
slished camping places, while at
least three of them. Rhode Island
Maryland and Delaware, have none
at all. The Rocky Mountain states
are likewise deficient as compared
with the relatively large number In
the middle west and along the Pa
scific coast, but even here the show
ing Is appreciably better than In
Ale Atlantic states from Maine tu
Florida.