The Winslow mail., 1925-01-02
BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL

Our kindly-faced old Uncle Sam,
influenced sometimes by few of his
less benign nephews, is occasionally
made to play part that is at least
uncharitable, and, if you could stand
a palmer term, contemplate.
Take for instance the attitude of
the powerful federal government TAX
ing it's spite out on Coconino county
because the people of that enormous
ly land-poor county dared to vote
against the offer of the government
to "buy" Bright Angel Trail
Maybe the offer was a generous one
maybe not. Evidently the Coconino
county voters thought it was not. The
attitude there seemed to be that mas
much as the government built and
maintained approach roads to all OF
the other national parks of the coun-
try it was not exactly a square deal
that Coconino county should be coerc-
ed into selling valuable property
and turn the proceeds into what
should properly be a government
road, road for the convenience Of
national tourists travelling toward
national park.
1t begins to appear that the county
will ultimately have to 'knuckle un-
der' to Uncle Sam, for the powers
in Washington have declared that no
funds shall be appropriated to roads
over government-owned land adjac-
ent to Grand Canyon national park
until Coconino gives up the trail, and
since the congress convened in De-
cember such an appropriation, al
ready cited in the parks budget, was
cut out, awaiting the time when the
voters of Coconino shall change their
vote on the recent referendum.
When the Grand Canyon national
park was created a few years ago
the enabling act specifically stated
that no rights or titles of the county
in the area embraced within the park
confines would be disturbed or ques-
toned.
But the government is disturbing
the peaceful possession Of the county
in Bright Angel Trail, by building a
competitive trail, which, without doubt
will be turned over as a concession
to the Fred Harvey company. Con-
venience to visitors and patrons OF
the park was not consideration. The
old trail, noted in poetry and history,
could amply care for all travel for
many years to come, and there was
no clamor for a new entrance into
the depths of the canyon.
The old trail was built by pioneers
of Arizona at a time long before the
government even considered taking
over Grand Canyon and making it in
to a national park. The builders were
doing something for the territory CT
Arizona, and by their constructive,
but ill-paid work, we're laying the
foundation for what is to become the
greatest recreation ground for an en-
tire nation in the whole world.
The Bright Angel Trail was built
forty years ago. There was no hotel
there until twenty years later. Itswas
many years before a railroad was
built to the rim. No automobile roads
led to the canyon, for there were TO
be no automobiles until nearly twen-
ty-fve years had passed.
The builders could hardly have
.foreseen the conditions of the pres
ent when thousands of people yearly
visit the park, even thousands annu-
ally travelling over the hard-built
trail they were constructing, there
fore it is not hard to believe that
those early-day road builders were
not actuated by any particular dreams
of getting rich in tolls over their
road, but that they were performing
one of the heroic. tasks that confront
ed those who helped to make this an
habitable state.
1t is hard to understand why the
eastern members of the national parks
committee of congress feel that Co.
conino county is in duty bound tc
build and keep up sixty-four mile
stretch of highway from Maine, on
the National Old Trails, to the Fred
Harvey hotel.
Coconino county has 2,400 miles OF
other highways to maintain for the
convenience of her own people, and
of the area of Coconino county, great
as it is, over SO per cent belongs al
ready to~Uncle Sam. But Uncle Sam
doesn't pay SO per cent of the taxes
not s per cent-nOt any per cent