Imperial Valley press., 1928-09-10
LACUNA ROUTE
GAINS FRIEND IN
FOREST ENGINEER

y. Is. Burnett, assistant chief en-
girccr Of the Federal Forest High .
ways, accompanied by group com
prisiug Forest Supervisor J. f.
Elliott, Phil W. Knights, Robogt
HAYS, Victor Hetzcl and Marshall
Salisbury, made Il trip over the pro
posed direct short Laguna road on
Friday and Saturday. The party
descended Thing Valley, through
the Cuyipipe Indian Reservation, TO
the head of Canebrakc Canyon, on
horseback, and the visiting engineer
was given a good understanding OF
the route at that point, and the
lucky - gap which permits a short
connection between Imperial Val
lev and the mountains near Laguna.
Thereafter the party drove around
by autos to Coyote Wells, where the
route was followed south of Coyote
mountain, through Sweeney canyon,
across the CarriSo creek, past Noun
tain Palm Springs, and into Cane
brake canyon, bringing Engineer
Burnett almost to his starting place.
The forest highway engineer char
ac,erizcd the proposed road 5 con
,'ruttion as very light, except
the tour-milc grade which must as,
ccnd in the upper part of the Cane.
rrakc and ends in Thing Valley, IN
ght of the forests of Laguna. He
urges the chamber of commerce to
pass appropriate resolutions, the
/ details of which he carefully cN
planned to Secretary Hays, and for
ward them to the district forest Of
nary step to the possible inclusion
! of the road in the Forest Highway
/ system. There are difficulties, Bur
! nett explained, because much Of the
/ road will be outside the National
Forest, some of it in an Indian re
+ servation, and the one heavy grade
viii be sleeper than the present
practices Of the Federal Highways
tolerate. though less steep than
many of the roads now built through
the ecrcsts. These obstacles are not
inSurmountablc, he admitted, and
those who accompanied him feel
that the project has sincere and
enthusiastic friend in Engineer Bur
nett. and that he will exert his in.
tIucnre to the utmost to give the
desert dwellcrs Of Imperial and
Yuma valleys direct access to the
pine covered mountains.
Road Badly Needed
The visitor declared that the
situation and .climate Of Impcr
ial and Yuma valleys made a direct
recreational road of more than or
dinary Importance. No road, he be
liryed, leading to mountain re
. yreatiouai area. would do so much
good to such large number Of pco.
lt. a> would the direct E9guua high.
. way
Burnett left san Diego late Satur.
daT night for idvllWild, where the
Forest Highways have a S3cit road
under construction. His visit here
was curtailcd because of tha forest
fires which have ragged all over Cal.
ifornia, and which have dis rhcd
all the plans Of the forest S'ryicc.
He did not come east Of Coyote
Wells. which was disa, pontn, mt
to a large number Of pe1plr in FL
Centre, Brawley, Holtvillc and
Yuma Yuma had planned to send
a delegation here to meet the cA.
gineer and explain Arizona 5 great
need for access to the milr.Aigh La;
guna Mountains. The citilcns ana
the chamber Of commerce If III city
lust across the Colorado river have
worked rolertlessly for the iaGuna
.oad project, and plan t" continue
t5eir efforts until the higLway is
n reality. Their assistance has been
If much value to the local chamber
Of commerce and to the project. All
who have heretofore interested
/ themselves in the plan are prepared
to 90 ahead harder than ever, fol
lowing along the lines proposed by
Engineer Burnett, and feel that the
Laguna short road must be built.