Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-10-26
VISITORS RECORD AT
GRAND CANYON BROKEN,
SAYS PARK SUPERVISOR
(special to the pispatch)

4 NSpGCIdI TO lHe IiSIfNNSii(
GRAND CANYON, oct. 25. - The
total Of 14O,252 visitors to the Grand
canyon national park during The sea-
son Just Closed, Indicates it was the
most successful in the history of the
park, it was announced ny j. H.
Eakin, superintendent, here today.
AS was freely predicted by park
/ officials early in the year, moro
than half of the total arrived by
automobile and oT:er private means
of hravel. This is the first time, that
| rail travel was exceeded by private
enteries.
There were 22,349 autos carrying
1880 passengers registered at the
park entrances. They bore license
Hates from every state in the union,
| District Of Columbia, Hawaii, Alaska,
| Panama, Mexico, China ana the
Philippine Islands. Statistics prepar-
ed in the park office, show thar
California led the list in the nun10er
Of cars with 5,l55, and Arizona was
second with 4,741. other states listed
as the number of cars are: Utah..
1,430 Texas, 1856; Colorado, 1917
Illinois, 769 and Ohio CAT. Among
the visitors arriving by rnN' were
persons from 81 foreign countries.
The figure for the season is s
| per cent in excess of last years total,
and is the largest number to en;er
the park in year. OF the total
67,436 care by rail, 1850 in 22,SAU
automobiles and 236 BY miscellaneous
means. Although the increase on
! the south rim was substantial, the
! percentage of increase on the north
| rim was much more impressive. While
| rail travel to the south rim showed
Il loss, the total for this class or
! travel on tho north rim more than
doubled, and there was very INIT
ttrial increase in auto travel The
yotal travel to the south RIM amount
ed to 1922, compared to 125,797 a
year ago, and the figures for tht.
north rim are 1900, compared to.
S,256. 1f @@
The claims of routes through the
| great southwest, as being aH-yeaT
highways, are amply suDstantiaced ny
figures on the park record books.
On September so, autos had entered
the park for 621 consecutive days
! The records also show that cars
from the state OF New York entered
| the park every month of the year.
and the same is true of eight other
states east of the Mississippi river
and also q large number of westerhi
states 20 serious trouble was en-.
countered al on.g33 trans-continental
| highways passing through Arizon%
and New Mexico at any time of the
year Unusually heavy spring rains
occurred, but there was no break in
/ the steady flow of cross country cars
! traversing these states.
A close study of the figures. shows
| that road developments have had =
decided influence on tie trend OF
travel. Records show that 1924
Arizona motorists visited the canyon
compared with 1905 LAST year. Two
things probably explain this. unex4
ccted increase, one. being the 'sec
! Arizona" campaign ] tnat has been
! carried on so SUCCESSFULLY, and the
| ether being the development Of high
ways north and south across the
state. 9th Of these factors have. not
only. affected the vacation ana signt>
seeing plan of the people of Arr.
zcna, but those of other states. In
attempting to call the attention or
| Arizonians to the scenic features Of
the state, they have also been brought
to the attention ) of the motorists
/ throughout the entire country, and
| Arizona is no longer q state this.
! tourist merely passes through.
1t is2 not expected that this years
total is the largest that will ever
enter the park. The new season Aas
already started and already shows
every promise of breaking the records,
of the one just closed. AS the Grand
canyon is open the entire year, this
end of the season is merely date
en- the calendar, and has no signifi-
canoe other than being the enc OF
J cne and the beginning another.