The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1922-06-16
PARK CHAIN FROM
OCEAN TO OCEAN
National Park Director Mather
Outlines Plan for System
Reaching Across Country.
IS NOT GOVERNMENT PROJECT
sss-szsz--3 sskssEs =. So
Scheme Is Purely State Proposition,
but VIII Have Approval and AS
sistanee Of National Govern
n1ent-FolloW Rail Routes.

-
1890
Omaha, Neb.-A dream Of a park
system reaching from the Atlantic to
the Pacific along half a dozen or more
Of the great travel highways was out
lined in Omaha by Stephen T. Mather
Of Chicago, director of the government
national park system. Mr.. Mather
emphasized that while these park lines
are not sponsored by the government
and are purely state projects, they
have the approval of the national sys-
tenn in every way.
"It is a gigantic undertaking" says
Mr.. Mather
Mr.. Mather is now in the West get
ting the great national parks, Yellow
stone, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Zion
and the other Fairgrounds, ready for
the coming sightseeing season.
'Many Of the states are working on
these park lines now" says Mr..
Mather, "and we hope to have others
interested very quickly
Will Follow Rail Routes.
West of the Mississippi these park
lines, as outlined by Mr.. Mather, will
follow closely the big transcontinental
railroad lines. One system of parks
will follow the Southern Pacific road
from New Orleans across Texas, New
Mexico and Arizona to California. A
second line will follow the Missouri
Pacific and Santa Fe from St. Louis
through Kansas City and on to the
Pacific through Kansas and the states
west. A third line of parks will fol-
low the Union Pacific from Omaha
across Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and
Nevada to San Francisco, with
branches at Ogden to Los Angeles and
Portland. Still another park system
will extend from St: Paul and Mime
apolis out to Seattle.
East of the Mississippi these lines Of
parks will follow trade routes across
New York, northern Ohio and Indiana
to Chicago; across Pennsylvania, cen
tral Ohio and Indiana to Chicago and
ST. Louis; across Maryland, West
Virginia, southern Ohio and Indiana to
st. Louis and down the Atlantic coast
and around to New Orleans.
1.-THE national government has moth
ing officially to do with these park
lines" Mr.. Mather states, "but we are
assisting all along the line. These
parks will be under the control Of the
different states. They will be small
compared with the vast government
Fairgrounds. Some of them will con-
tain but few acres. Here they Will
take In a bit of rough land with an
especially fine view; there the park
may border on small lake, again ii
may be on the banks Of a stream, it
may commemorate some act of state
wide Importance; it may be located
around a landmark, etc. All these
small parks will work right in with
the national system.
"The day Of the park and OF the
great outdoors has come in America.
The people are getting ready to play
again. We are expecting the largest
crowds at the national parks this
coming season that have visited them
for a number OF years.
"For Ave or six years the American
people have done very little playing.
There was the war and there was the
expense of travel. But the war is over
and travelling expenses have been ma
terially reduced.
STEAMSHIP lines to Europe are adj
vertising q specific amount as the ex-
pense of a trip abroad, everything in
cluded. To offset this the government
park service has figured the necessary
cost, including railroad fare, Pullman
and dining car extras and the expense
In the parks themselves. While our
service has nothing to do with ex.
penses outside the park, 1t has every.
thing to do with those within the park
boundaries, and we have forced the
total cost down to minimum.
May Use Different Roads.
"The government service has ar
ranged with the railroads which reach
these parks to take passengers in al
one entrance and permit them to leave
the parks at entirely different gate.
ways and use a different railroad
thenceforth, If they wish to do so.
"From inquiries the park service Is
receiving now, we believe the word
pleasure Is coming back into the
vocabulary of the ordinary people
and this year these great western
parks will entertain their largest
crowds for many yeafs-if not in their
| histories.
"The people are going to enjoy the
great outdoors more In the future than