The Republican., 1939-08-31


Has Found Much OF Interest Here
In Garrett County During His So
journ In Oakland
To the Editor of The Republican.
The recent survey of the history of
Garrett county, made by the WPA
says Oakland was founded by Isaac
Mccarthy in 1649. Its nearby suburb
of Mountain Lake Park was estab-
lished in 1888 by the Methodists as I
business enterprise, aiming to found
a summer resort with religious, edu-
cational and recreation features. The
survey adds that this high plateau,
with its cool and invigorating climate,
reached the peak Of its prosperity as a
summer resort some forty years ago,
when many public men, such as Pres
idents Grant, Mckinley, Cleveland and
Harrison, John w. Garrett, president
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
whose death occurred in his summer
home in Deer Park, and others, came
here for the summer months. Its de-
cline in later years is attributed
largely to lack of ample recreational
features.
To be sure there is nine-hole golf
course near Oakland where golf fans
can hunt the lost balls sin the rough"
'golf widows" may console their lone
illness with bridge or wish they were
at the movies, and players of this an
cient and honorable Scotch game can
pick up some extra business from the
social contacts. Far be it for me TO
censure such proper practice. The only
reason l never made use of it was that
I neglected to learn the game.
Then there is the attraction for boat
ing, fishing and swimming at Deep
Creek Lake, about ten miles north Of
Oakland-a large body of water set
in amazingly beautiful mountain seen
cry and said to harbor 800 or more
summer cottages.
This ponderous volume Of the WPA,
which took three years Of work to as
semble, neglects to mention these rec
reational facilities now existing, nor
offers any suggestions as to what fur
ther amusements should be provided
to make this section attractive to the
tourist
Those travellers who frequent Cali
fornia or Florida resorts, know how
easy it is to provide shuffle-board
tracks or places for lawn bowling, GRO
quet grounds or its high-brow cousin,
rogue.
But none of these things are created
until you get tourist travel started
your way. That seems to be the first
problem to be solved.
This great plateau, with its 2500
feet average altitude, located only 166
miles, by paved highway from Wash
ington, and only 100 miles from Pitts
burgh, with average summer tempera-
lures far below the big cities, certainly
has something to advertise to swelter-
ing humanity. You must travel about
twice as far to reach such high, cool
places in Virginia and even further in
Pennsylvania or North Carolina.
Yes, it costs money to advertise, but
it's more expensive not to advertise,
if it's business you are after. If all
the hotels, garages, movies, stores and
other business concerns in the county,
who would profit by increasing tourist
travel, would pool their advertising
quite a splash might be made in the
travel pages of the big Sunday paperj
during June and July.
Business goes where it is invited,
and the tourist trade is no exception
to that rule. | am here right now in
response to a cordial invitation from
one of your leading citizens whose
ancestors were pioneers in this county.
For over two summer months the
temperature on our North side porch
has never gone above 82-most days
the high being considerably below that
figure. The summer months in Balti-
more, Washington and Pittsburgh are
tropical heat compared with Garrett
county.
No need to indulge in regrets that
most of the big resort hotels here have
disappeared. The same is true in many
other resort sections. The large hotel
era has passed, except in few special