Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-26

Washington, D. c., Nov. ga per-
son seeking literature with a thrill
would not be likely to look for it in q
government document. Nevertheless
the diligent searcher does 40 need
much Imagination to find plenty of ex-'
citing reading in a bulletin recently is
sued by the geological survey. The
bulletin is titled "Guidebook Of the
Western United States-Part E." and
it contains a description Of the Seen
cry, climate and resources of the our
try which can be observed by a tray
eler on the Denver & Rio Grande
wrapper comes the rafting story of
the building Of the Denver & Rio
Grand-a western thriller If there
ever was one.
First. before we get on with this
story of empire building, a word about
the guidebook itself. AS a geological
survey publication it is the pet child of
Marius r. Campbell, who was the au-
thor of the first part to be published.
part A, dealing with the country along
the Northern Pacific railroad, and also
of the part which has just been is
sued. Mr.. Campbell, who is a geolo-
gist with the survey, has crossed the
continent many times on the various
railroads. AS a good scientist. he was
at first distressed by the railroad maps.
The railroad map-maker is prone to
draw his own line straight and comfort
the country to make it fit his scheme.
Mr.. Campbell believed that the tray-
elers through the west ought to be
able TO get accurate maps of the
try penetrated by the railroads.
The geolosist also noted that many
of the summer tourists were eastern
school teachers. These travellers
seemed to be thirsty fer information
about the country through which they
passed, but for this information they
were forced to rely upon railroad fold
ers, trainmen, or fellow travellers,
who might or might not supply au-
theutic facts. In any event. il was
impossible for the chance tourist to
see everything of interest along the
lines. Many important features were
certainly to be passed by without no.
tice simply because the tourist would
not be informed of the significance of
various objects.
Mr.. Campbell saw in this situation
an opportunity TO do a double service
to make travel more pleasurable to
the tourist and 20 popularize and
spread accurate knowledge of the re-
sources of the west. His enthusiasm
for the project prevailed upon the geo
logical survey. and he was given the
task of compiling the first volume of
the guidebook. the one dealing with
the route of the Northern Pacific. To
get the information for this volume he
Travelled from st. Paul to Seattle In q
special motor car which ran on the
rails on orders like any train, except
a, =. -x,- -arStb srirI1ana Of hold
ing I'D other trains whenever neces-
sary.
Tramped for Two Summers
The first book was such a success
that it was followed by three others,
and now by a fourth. Objects and fea-
tires of interest are so numerous along
Tho line of the Denver & Rio Grande
that Mr.. Campbell did not even avail
himself of the comparatively leisurely
nrorress OF a railroad motor car, but
IN order to miss nothing along the
route he tramped OF foot over 800 or
the most interesting miles of it, taking
two summers for this work.
OF the guidebook itself the chief fea-
tire Is the series of detailed route
maus. which are more accurate, the
survey contends, than any ever pre-
pared for guidebooks before. These
maps are in sections, each showing iVu
miles or so of the route. and each one
is tipped into the book SO that it folds
out beyond the edges Of the pages. The
text describing the country along the
route of the section preeedes each map.
so that the traveller can sit in the Pull
mar and follow the route on the map
and at the same time read the pages
descriptive of what he sees.
Now the Denver & Rio Grande, to
the inquisitive traveller, is a good deal
of an enigma, both in its name, for It
does not come within several hundred
miles of the Rio Grande. and in its
route. for ii connects Denver with
Salt Lake City. which is northwest OF
Denver, but in going to Salt Lake City
it travels first 40 miles southeast to
then turns abruptly to the north