Show Completion of Victory Highway Through Basin Important to State I By W W. D D. D Rishel I As reel after reel in the westbound west- west bound boun touring travel is thrown upon the screen each succeeding picture vividly portrays the strategic location location loca- loca tion iou o of the Victory highway as a highly important feeder of motoring tourists into Salt Lake The day Js is not far distant when more to tourists will vill enter the state of Utah front from the he east traveling through the Uintah Uin- Uin tah ah basin and emptying Into Utah and Salt Lake counties through Provo and Parleys Parley's canyons than any anyone one of the other several located highways through this state The reason Is obvious The VIo- VIo tory ory highway taps the fountainhead of westbound touring travel at Denver Den Dent vent ver Yel J ere the vast horde of east motorists bound for the mountains of f the western slope congregate and then hen after viewing Colorado's Colorados mountain moun- moun mountain moun- moun tain ain scenery ether either return home nome or hatter er In fan shape for the Pacific co st The nat natural ral diversion point for those bound for or the Pacific coast is Salt Lake City Cily The shortest routes routes best scenery and best beet traveling travel travel- traveling ing conditions to the northwest the the central Pacific coast and amI the south sulli southwest west is a straight line Hue from rom Denver to Salt Lake with the bran branch h highways highways high high-e ways from Salt Lake to the points desired And the Vi Victory tory highway is I that straight line J Denver Sees Light I IThe The writer has just completed a trip over Cover over the Victory Victorr h highway to i Denver compiling a new set of of's trip strip II maps and making a study of touring conditions with witha La view if possible of strengthening strengthening- Salt Lakes Lake's position as the western hub of touring travel It was thou thought gIlt In the past that Salt Salt Lake would have to invade Denver Denv r and sell that city the the Victory high highway war as the most Important westbound westbound westbound west west- bound link in their system of touring touring touring tour tour- ing routes Denver was Denver was In fn the beginning be be- beI I ginning slow to grasp the possibilities ties tics for Denver in the location Uon of t this route rout through Colorado Colorado- but Denver has seen the light and today conditions are just reversed it Is Denver that is trying to force Salt Lake to see the importance of completing corn com this road through the Uintah basin Two years ago o the Berthoud pass feet In u the air was consid considered ered an obstacle hard to overcome overcome A good car dropped into low and t for r an hour battled to reach the summit Today a high gear gear road wide wId enough no gh for three cars abreast takes the tourist tourist- over the highest point on any transcontinental highway with the ease o of driving up Parleys Parley's canyon Modern engineering mind nd the government government gov gov- federal aid road engineers ers are responsible for th this Short Route Appeals Rocky Mountain national park parR enjoys more motoring tourists than all the other western national parks combined Government statistics tell this story Grand lake is the e great cental point of attraction In Rocky Mountain national park the theone theone theone one one place all tourists wish to visit I F and from Grand lake lale is a a down hill coast on this side of the me continental divide a d distance stance of twelve miles to Granby on the Victory highway headed for Salt Lake City This Th s year ear it is estimated nearly tourists will visit Rock Mountain n National park How many of ot these go back to Denver and strike out for Yellowstone through Wyoming or Los Angeles by the National Old trails And of all of those who do this very thing what percentage would continue straight west to Salt Lake and thence to Yellowstone or Los Angeles if the Victory highway highway high high- way was in fact a real ro road d Answer Answer An An- Ver 5 per cent because they would have a shorter ter road to Los Angeles with far less less' deserts And rid they would have a far better road and more scenic road to Yellowstone with no in the distance And what prevents this Road scraps in Utah which h have prevented the completion of a real road into the Uintah basin I And would Denver play the game I with Salt Lake Would Denver rather send the tourists though western C Colorado lorado or would Denver prefer to ship the tho tourists travel north through W Wyoming oming or south through ugh New Mexico Would the tourist himself rather detour miles out of his course through gh Wyoming or New Mexico or take taice tal ine the straight highway way hr ugh the tha scenic 1 mountains mountains mountains moun moun- of Colorado to his hs d destination Or Is Denver willing to sit still and se see the Lincoln highway on theo the north and the National Ole Ola trails trans on the south carry Pacific co coast bound touristy past h her r door door- Denver has been doing this for years cars with Its railroad travel and p. p has is issued sued bonds in the sum of seven million million million mill mill- ion dollars ars to build the Moffat t tun tunnel nel nel to overcome overcome this handicap Denver is' is isnow now binding balding high highway a alongside the Moffat l t road for its east and west vest highway y and asks Utah to cooperate and the route Jute into Salt Lake And does oes I Utah really need the road rond through 1 Utah As Ask Asi the people of the tine Uin- Uin II iah ah basin that section of our state i II wh which ch more more mor than any Muy other section Q Of the st state te needs a high highway w y strictly I for loc local r purposes ses without regard to I touring touring- trav travel l. l Commercial or lo local local local cal highways highways' should always c come come I first for consideration and In this this' case the much needed commercial I highway will complete a strictly highly producing tourist route smal town Small town rivalry animosity to tow toward toward to- to w ward rd Salt Lake self-appointed self trail frail locators interested in other routes loutes and lack of or backbone In o official I quarters tells the story stor p. p and arid it is costing Salt Lake and Ut Utah h millions I of tourist d dollars each year rear What is Js the solution The spending of f federal aid money first where it was Intended by the government that it t should be spent that is is in buildIng buildIng building build- build Ing road north and south east and west ves west connecting at the the tate state line with roads of or our ng I states |