Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1915 — GREAT OCEAN to OCEAN HIGHWAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GREAT OCEAN to OCEAN HIGHWAY

HE European war has focused attention more strongly than ever before upon the idea embodied in ' / the phrase, “See America First. Thousands who have been in the habit of spending their vacations, U j winter or summer, abroad are scanning the map of the United States with renewed interest and 11 J are discovering that natural atl tractions, scenic wonders and

good roads which they had hardly thought in existence are to be found without the necessity of making an ocean voyage. ... With the great impetus which the automob has within recent years given to touring and with the rapid development of better roads, the motorist has been traveling the highways and byways in search of scenes that are new and roads that are good. This year, 1915, will see a great stream of travel from east to west and west to east—attracted by the two California expositions and by the novelty of a transcontinental tour by motor. . Definite routes have been established, and the automobile owner now has almost as great a choice of routes as has the traveler by train. A truly remarkable work has been done within the last few years in developing highways and linking them together into interstate and national roads They are named and marked, mapped and pictured until it is the exception for the motorist to find himself on a nameless route. The' latest of the transcontinental highways is the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway. This road is being developed by an association resulting from the federation of several strong state units. The Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway has a distinctive organization from Terre Haute, Ind., to Salt Lake City, Utah, with splendid connections at both these termini. At Terre Haute it joins with the National Old Trails road, which carries it through Indianapolis, Columbus, Wheeling, Cumberland to the national capital, Washington, and thence to New York city. From Springfield, 111., it also has a good connection through Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and down the Hudson to New York city. Prom Terre Haute, it continues westward through Springfield, 111., crossing the Mississippi river at Cannibal, Mo., thence in a direct line over the Hannibal-St Joseph Cross' State highway through Missouri to St. Joseph. Here it joins the Rock Island highway through northern Kansas, through Belleville, Norton and Colby, to connect at the Colorado line with the Pikes Peak route through Llmon to Colorado Springs. Here ft enters the mountains through Ute pass, and/ after crossing the South park, begins the ascent of the continental divide which is achieved. Just beyond Leadville, on a 4 per cent grade over an improved road. The top of Tennessee pass, 10,400 feet above sea level, is the highest point on the road between. the two oceans, and now begins the descent to the Pacifle side. The thrilling jitte over Battle mountain is followed by the parrrf" l Eagle Rivtr valley, which leads into the

Glenwood canyon, where the road follows the Canyon of the Grand River to Glenwood Springs. At Rifle, the highway turns northward from the railroad, through Meeker, Colo., Vernal, Roosevelt and Duchesne, Utah, to Provo and Salt Lake City. At the Mormon capital it has several connections westward, • both to the north and south of the lake, via the Lincoln highway through Reno. to San Francisco, qr the road by way of Tonopah to either Los Angeles or San Francesco. A look at the map will show that the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway crosses the central part of the United States in a line as straight as the contour of the country will permit; that it traverses a section rich in natural resources, of diversified commercial agricultural and mining interest; of varying topography; a section of the United States of historic associations, and that it cuts through the heart of the Rocky mountains and makes accessible magnificence and grandeur unrivaled in all the world. To demonstrate the feasibility of this highway, there was held last summer an official inspection trip from St. Joseph to Colorado Springs, followed by a reliability run from that point to Salt Lake City. Regarding that portion of the road between St, Joseph and Colorado Springs a member of the official party said: “This tour holds no dreariness, no weariness, no monotony. This is pleasant thoroughfare. The meeting that was the forerunner of this trail was held in March, 1912, and so busy have the promoters been that you can speed along the whole way at a rate of from twenty-five to thirty-five miles an hour — and we did. Markers everywhere tell you when and how to turn. Hospitality greets you on every hand. There are long, level stretches in Kansas; you’d be disappointed if there weren’t. You run through them just long enough to get enjoyment out of the scene, and then you dip down into the most delicious valleyß and around wooded trails and through boßky dells. You always' think of toiling ox teams and clouds of dust and a dreadful thirst when you turn your mind toward western Kansas. But the real truth is that traveling through this country—and eastern Colorado as well—is a delightful surprise. You get just enough of everything you’ve heard a.bout as being there, and never too much! You see Jack rabbits, and prairie dogs, and sod houses, and tumble weed —and silos and cornfields — cornfields extending as far over the divide as you can see —and wheat until your eyes get tired of' distance. Eastern is the biggest surprise. You are fascinated throughout by the scenery, the spirit of the country and the history, told you by men and by silent landmarks and tokens along the way." “The trip from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City by auto over the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway leaves the memory full of pleasant impressions,” said one of the members of the relia-

bility party. "Every mile of the way is interesting; most of it is pleasant, and some of it is both charm* ing and thrilling. No one can truthfully say that he has seen the grandeur and beauty of the Rocky mountains unless he has made this trip. We, enter the mountains at Manitou, through historic Ute pas 3. The canyon broadens, and then the road winds over pine-covered hills. The bright of the rock change to gray, and rugged formations to comparatively smooth hills; a great rock basin, miles across, lies before us; we catch glimpses of snow-capped mountains 80 miles away. We climb through picturesque weeded hills, and as we reach the top of a small pass get our first view of South park —a great tableland, 20 miles long and 40 wide. Beyond, a winding road leads to Buena Vista, and as we follow' up the Arkansas river, we pass over the “Eye Brow’’ road. It is not long until we catch glimpses of Twin lakes —great crystal gems that nestle about the feet of towering mountains. A boulevard leads to Leadville, world-famed mining camp, and the highest city of its size in the world. It is only nine miles to the Continental dividte —Tennessee pass, two miles above sea level. The road is smooth as a boulevard, and the upgrade is only 4 per cent. After leaving the Continental divide the road runs over an abandoned railroad grade around and through a valley of indescrible charm; we pass into a rugged canyon to the town of Red Cliff and begin the ascent of Battle mountain. Half way up the moun-

tain one forgets his scare in the fascination of the panorama which unrolls before him. Now we proceed along the top of the canyon rim past a mining camp-; and again we are thrilled as we look into the yawning depths below — the ride along the shelf of this gorge for miles is thrilling fascinating beyond the power of words. Then we descend into the Eagle River valley and pass from almost appalling grandeur into a peaceful, fertile valley. A run of 45 miles brings us to the entrance to Glenwood canyon, through which runs the Grand river. No word artist can describe this trip as the automobile winds over the narrow road around the base of towering painted cliffs and peaks

which assume a multitude of fantastic shapes. Each turn in the canyon brings new charms, and still the decorated walls, the rushing river that hurls itself in sinuous curves over the stony bed —until at last we pass out of the canyon directly into the delightful resort of Glenwood Springs. The ride to Rifle is most refreshing; in place of the ruggedness of the awesome canyon, we have a broad fertile valley, framed by gently rising, bright red mountains. Here the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway leaves the railroad and turns north, through a country of quiet, pleasing but varied beauty, to Meeker, an inland, town in the broad, fertile valley of White river. After leaving the rich, irrigated land, much of the country is not particularly interesting, and between Rangely and the Utah line is the only section of desert, 25 miles, traversed by this highway. As soon as we cross over into Utah we reach a graded road, through flat tableland skirted with rolling, rocky hills. Jensen on the Green river is surrounded by a fertile, well-cultivated valley, and it is most refreshing to come into this prosperous agricultural country which continues as we go westward through the Uintah basin. To the weary traveler, Vernal is an oasis in a desert; some day a railroad will run through this country, and when it does, this will be one of the richest and most desirable sections in the West. We pass through Fort Duchesne, an* abandoned military fort; then on to Roosevelt and Myton, both new, modern, progressive towns, k All the way from the Utah line to Duchesne we have good, traveled roads; here there are two auto roads to the railroad; one to Colton, 51 miles, and the other to Heber, 80 miles. The road to Provo Is through Provo canyon, one of the most beautiful scenic canyons in the mountains. Provo is a modern city, picturesquely located between the mountains and Utah lake, and is an attractive place to visit. A splended graded road, running sufficiently high above the great Utah valley to give a pleasing view of mountain and plain and fields of billowing grain, completes the run into Salt Lake City.” , Other things being equal, the transcontinental tourist will naturally seek the route of greatest scenic interest. Because it does traverse the heart of the scenic country of Colorado and Utah, the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean highway, therefore, holds the key to the transcontinental situation. It is the natural and logical way—and its further development is assured by the states, cities, counties and communities through jjwhich it passes. Merely drawing a line on a map and giving it a name does not make a transcontinental highway, and the important fact about the Pikes Peak Ocean 'to Ocean highway is that the state units were already in high state of development before any effort was made to attract travel or to federate for the development of the highway.