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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 1922)
THE 31 OK XING OR'EGOMAX, MONDAY, JANUARY 2, V.K2 CmiuttniNHniiiimmi4HHmniimHuiimnif(miii:HiitHtiNiiiHmtiiHHiiiiiitttttiiiti 41 tHMI It I ttWHIl IMHHMtlHI H HIIMHI 11 1 CDMPLETION OF LOWER COLUMBIA HIGHWAY BRINGS BEACHES NEARER 1 , ' , t j I Noteworthy Achievement of Past Year Is Finished Pavement From Portland to Seaside, Distance of 125 Miles Road Runs Through Fine Scenery Entire Length, Affording Remarkable Drive. iiihimh? life " . ' y , 1' - rt " 1 1 r f::r-:: ' ; . . : kr:-'-:-i ' r f - s?"--, , . I . , . . : . I I ; v . '.-. I ' T"LT " ' w --s.i-Ir , j far ' . a v,v 4 , " .tarrrwr s, Ssw-MM1 ill Vr;rfcfc,CV;A -44 J - L-if " " 4 i. fill : .t' A - iiHiHBiHv I 1 H.I.. li i"iirw III sYt'S'f (Yrj-0 Crejr; 7sr Jrr jZawrs-T?2'zss&yarj:'l?'5w5r4'. THE north beaches of Oregon, pro nounced. by many as amons the most beautiful and healthful In America, were brought to the door of Portland as the result of the comple tion lat fall of the paved ..roadway from Tortland to Seaside. The year's road-building programme In that sec tion provided for the paving of the link from Astoria to Seaside, connect ing with the lower Columbia river highway, the hard-surfacing of which had been finished the previous year from Portland to Astoria. Completion of the paved way from Portland to the sea marked the cul mination of the ambition of road builders and road boosters of Port land, Astoria, Seaside and interme diate points, who since 1912 have worked unceasingly for such a high way. As a result of the work now completed the Pacific ocean is but five' hours by motor from the c'ty. winter or summer, and Portland mo torists are enabled to make the week end trip to the beach resorts with comfort and facility any time of the year. Paving operations which were cu rled on throughout lust summer made detours between Astoria and Seaside necessary. These taxed the ability of the best drivers, but on October 9 the highway was opened, detours were done away with and a great parade of automobiles filed from Portland to Astoria and on to Seaside to celebrate the completion of the olumbia "trail." For two days Oregonians celebrat ed, officials and citizens from Gov ernor Olcott down to the most humble road booster joining in a fitting pro gramme. The great development In the state of Oregon since Lewis and Clark and their party of hardy ex plorers fought their way down the river over the same pathway 111 years earlier was cited, and contrast be tween the difficult method by which those pioneers made their way and the ease of the modern trip by auto mobile was pictured. In those, days the great Columbia rolled between banks untouched by the hand of civilization and Inhabited only by Indians, some of them hostile to the little band of Americans. Now, less than 1-0 years later, the riVer oes the hand of Industry at work on every side, while along its south bank has been cut this modern pathway, linking all the Oregon towns of the lower river Into a closer fraternity. The lower Columbia river highway Is so well known as scarcely to need description. Suffice it to say that the road runs from Portland westward along the south bank of the Columbia to Astoria. Much of the" time the highway penetrates deep timber, while now and then It cuts Its way along some bluff Overlooking the Co lumbia. These vistas of the river, flashes of view between areas of tim ber, make the lower highway one of the most beautiful roads'of the state and a wortBy follower of the upper Columb'a river highway. While the lower Columbia river highway stops officially at Astoria, the public mind has linked with It that section along the beach from Astoria to Seaside, which 's In reality the north section of the Roosevelt or coast highway. This Bectlon It was that was completed during the last year, bringing the roar of the ocean and the tang of the salt air to Port land's front door and adding another of Oregon's Incomparable outing re gions to the long list of those now accessible by automobile over paved roads. Thousands have driven over It. As a result of the paving pro gramme, now brought virtually to completion, the highway Is paved all the way to Astoria, 105 miles, with" the exception of a mile through the town of Rainier, and is paved from Astoria to Seaside, 20 miles more, al though a short distance of this last stretch Is s'insle-track pavement which must be replaced with standard roadway. Plans are already under way for completing these two last links, surfacing the mile within the town of Rainier, which is now rough macadam, and widening the pave ment from the end of the Young's bay bridge, southwest of Astoria, to the present pavement south of War renton Pavement of the lower Columbia river highway stands as the fastest Job of major highway building In Oregon. Not until 1019 wan the pa ing work started west' of Multnomah county, but from that time on the work was rushed and largo section were contracted for until the high way was brought to completion. Improvement of the road has not been a hasty development, howevet and the movement for a paved path way from Portland westward date back to 1912, when a -meeting wa held at Gearhart and the Columbia Boulevard association formed. That association had the development of the highway as Its avowed object and as a result of its enthusiastic work and work, of other road boosters and builders bond Issues were passed! end grading work begun. On the third day of June, 1914, the first furrow on the permanent gradi lng work was turned and the high way was fairly started. Thin oc curred Just wist of the little creek flowing through Wcstport, near the eastern boundary of Clatsop county. From then until the present the lower highway has been a beehive of ac tivity as the road has been brought to its present splendid shape. One of the important features of construction on this highway during the pnst year has been the new Toung's Hay bridge a short distance southwest of Astoria, The old bridge there haj been rapidly going to plecea and was fast becoming dangerous, to travel. Under tho leadership of the government the movement to replace the old bridge with a splendid modern structure went ahead and late In the summer the new span, costing lro the neighborhood of I.ISO.OOO, and built of concrete and steel, with wooden pll jng for the approaches, was open to travel. Later, In October, at the time, of tho celebration of the completion of the highway, tho nTw l.rlrigo was ded icated. President Harding at Wash ington touching the electric button which officially opened and closed the draw on that memorable occasion. And thus has another link in Ore gon's great chain of major highways been forged, and Oregon's north beaches, which are among the state' greatest attractions for the tourist, brought to the easy reach of all who travel by automobile. Tho comple tion is really but the beginning. Aa the years pass the work of developing the road southward and opening up additional beauties of the Oregon coast will go forward until the day when all the beaches of the state- arm accessible by paved roads and tour ists are flocking In by the thousand to enjoy the pleasures and benefits' of what Is bound to become one of tho greatest recreational sections. MmiiiiiitiitiHHiiiimiiiiiimiiitiiiHiimitmiiiitmiiiiMH'iiMimim OREGON TOURIST BUREAU LABORS TO ASSIST STATE'S VISITORS Official Information ( in Form of Maps' and Pamphlets Designed to Acquaint Travelers With Many Attractions in Various Sec-1 Hons of Commonwealth Distributed by Thousands Work Js Done in Co-operation With Pacific Northwest Association. T aiMiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiitinniHiiiiiiiiinmnHii,iiiinH)iiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimHiiMt By Sydney II. Vincent, Manairer, Oregon Tiiuritit and IntormMtion Hureau. HE REALIZATION that the care ful nurturing of the tourist traf fic would bring into Oregon millions of dollars of new wealth, and that the harvesting of the crops, as it has been called, would prac tically cost nothing compared to the enormous profits to be derived from this source, was one of the reasons why the .last legislature appropriated money for the creation of the Oregon tourist and information bureau. The bureau was designed to supplement the work of the very efficient Pacific Northwest Tourist association, whose chief function is to attract tourists. Up to the time of the establishment of the tourist and information, bureau there was no organization In the state able to furnish the tourist such Information as is usually required after the trl-state organization had, through its publicity campaigns, brought him here. He had nowhere to go for proper direction; he had no organization to appeal to that would furnish to him, without charge, road rr.aps of the .state, or supply him with Information regarding the condition of the highways and roads or other! data regarding Oregon's scenic re sources and hotel and other accom modations. Upon the tourist's arrival in the state last season . he 'found that the Oregon tourist, and information bu reau had provided practically every garage, every hotel and every com mercial organization with road maps and distance tables; he found every well-managed automobile camp ground in Oregon provided with maps and other information compiled and issued by the bureau; he found that in Oregon there was an official or ganization sponsored by the state ready and willing to furnish him not only with maps and road informa tion but with information of any kind regarding the natural resources of the state. The tourist found a welcome and "service with a smile" awaiting him. It might be well here to go Into some detail regarding this latest function of the state. The bureau, according to the law creating It, was to be governed by a committee of five to be appointed by the governor. Last April Governor Olcott nomi nated the following committee to di rect the affairs of the bureau: Leslie Butler, Hood River; Wallace C. Birds- all, Bend; George Lawrence Jr., Port land; Cameron Squires, Portland, and E. C. Simmons, Eugene. Through th death of Mr. Blrdsall and the resigna tion of Mr. Simmons, who was unabU to devote, the time necessary to the work, changes in the personnel of the committee were necessary. Gov ernor. Olcott appointed George Col lins of Medford to succeed Mr. Simmons and R- S. Hamilton of Bend to succeed Mr. Blrdsall. Mr. Butler is chairman of the committee and devotes much time to the work. The committee selected' space for its offices on the ground floor of the Oregon building at. Fifth and Oak streets, Portland, In connection with the state exhibit. Its decision to lo cate its offices in the same room with the state exhibit was a wise one. Thousands of tourists who called at the office of the bureau were thrown Into immediate contact with the state exhibit and had opportunity to see the wonderful displays of Oregon products which Mrs. 'Winnie Braden, manager, has provided. Thus the tourist bureau, in bringing the tourist and the resources of Oregon togther, performed for the state one of its chief implied functions. I shall digress here to state that it is my belief, based upon several years' IIIIIIIUMIIIHIIIimiMIIIIINIIMUmimillltllUUIIIHimtHUUllllHIIHIIWIHIIUIll? observation of the tourist travel into the Pacific northwest, and substan tiated through the experience of the bureau during the first six months of its operation, that at least 40 per cent of the tourists who come into Oregon and Washington, actually are looking for locations either for them selves, for relatives or friends. This estimate is not an Idle one; It is based upon a systematic method of "drawing out" the tourist as to his destination, his reasons for coming into the Pacific northwest and through such other means as cir cumstances surrounding each indi vidual case might indicate. It is'through the careful handling of the tourist that the Oregon tourist and information bureau is making itself a genuine asset to the state; it is through the courteous treatment of the tourist by its employes that Oregon will prof It enormously through the development of the tourist traf fic; it is through nurturing the 40 per cent referred to that Oregon's farm lands will be brought into greater production, Oregon's cities and towns made larger and millions upon millions of dollars of new capital brought into the state for the general prosperity of the common wealth. All most worthy objects. It was not until May 15 that the bureau wa under fair headway. It had started with nothing but a large store of enthusiasm; it was necessary to furnish an office and generally to do the hundred and one things In cidental to the creation of a new bureau. One of the first steps taken by the committee was that of ordering a large supply of road maps. These were distributed throughout the state. Other printed matter was obtained at.d soon the tourist and the public generally were made to know that there was available for their Infor mation free data nd maps and other Information regarding Oregon's roads and resorts. Incidentally the bureau equipped Itself to furnish information regarding the highways of California, Washington and Idaho, and the great transcontinental trails, such as the Lincoln highways and the Yellow stone trail. It was the Idea of the committee that complete information regarding tourlr.g in any direction must be furnished by the bureau, but that every effort must be made to keep the traveler within the confines of Oregon for the greatest possible length of time. The demand for the maps Issued by the bureau was so great that several additional supplies were had during the season. In all 60,000 maps were printed. The .bureau not only had printed maps of -the complete road system of Oregon, but also Issued maps giving full details of all the roads in the Columbia river basin to a point beyond The Inl!cs on both sides of the river; similar sectional maps of the lower Willamette valley and, the region west of the Cascades were issued. Probably 6000 maps were dis tributed in Washington In automobile camps and other places, and hundreds of tourists from the tate entered Oregon as a result of such distribu tion. Indicating the popular favor in which the action of the stale In creat ing the bureau is held, is the fact that during the month of June un average of 55 persons a day called at the bu reau for information; during July this number was increased to an aver age 'daily Inquiry of 61; August showed an Increase In the average number of daily inquiries at the Port land office to 93; in September an average of 47 persons a day asked for maps and other information and during'Oc-tober an average of 27 per sons called at the bureau each day for 26 working days. It will be seen from the foregoing that the Oregon Tourist and Informa tion bureau is doing a splendid work for the state. The bureau Is in its Infancy; Its functions will be en larged and its activities for 1922 greatly Increased. The directing committee Is composed of men en thusiastic In their work and the cler ical force is no less enthusiastic than its directors. The committee proposes that every automobile owner In Oregon shall be supplied with free information when ever desired; It proposes that every tourist entering t lie state at any one of four points will be furnished with accurate maps and Information; It pioposes that Oregon's unsurpassed scenery be made better known, so far I years. as its limited budget will permit; It proposes further to appeal to the) county officers of tho tate to keep up their roads ar.d to mark them fully so that the tourist will not go astray; It proposes to extend the service- of the bureau in every legitimate way for the upbuilding of Oregon without undue favor to any particular section, and It proposes to co-operate with tourist agencies throughout the country in any manner that will serve to make Oregon better known as the) most scenic state in the union. The development of the tourist traffic in Oregon 1 one of the most Important of movements. It will mean that Oregon will come Into her own as the most scenic state In the Union. It will mean that Oregon will profit In the future as California has In the past through tho influx of tourists which In our sister state to the south has l.een followed by an un precedented development, both from an agricultural and industrial stand point. California has learned how to convert the tourist dollar Into an In dustrial dollar. Oregon Is going to follow suit. The-Oregon Tourist and Information bureau will do Its part In bringing about this happy situa tion. The 1925 exposition will have a splendid ally In the bureau. Already the Portland office has issued thou sands of pieces of literature and au tomobile windshield stickers to tour ists advertising the 1925 exposition. The work of (idvertislng the exposi tion will be one of the great functions of the bureau during the next few
