Show I p l. l 0 I 1 r I j Kamas Boom Sets Up Fire ire Problems Kanias KamM is booming wonting Kaman Kamas deserves it Opening of tho the Mirror Lake road to l vanston has hag resulted in an au almost phenomenal increase in tourist traffic These tourists stop in to spend money motley be because Kamas cafes cates stations and stores have kept pa pace o with the tho times and provide service and h hospitality v The Tho Kamas amM Lions Club and other sighted far Kamas citizens citizens citi citi- zens zons worked for tor years to bring paved highway to Mirror Lake and then more moro years to extend the tho pavement to Evanston Its It's paying off oft Larry Colton Forest Warden in charge of the tho big far- far reaching Kamas office said every indication is that the tho flow I of of tourists over the tho Mirror I Lake road this summer will reach that's that's right half a million Last year the traffic jumped 44 per cent over 1959 to he said Tl Tins This is years year's count countis is far ahead of 1960 And the tho number does not include the traffic to and from the booming Kamas Valley VaHey summer home In in- Plenty of Sales Grant Woodward head of Samak Sa Sa- mak 1 Enterprises said Monday that while summer home developers develop develop- ers ors elsewhere are crying the blues he Is already ahead of oe the goal which he has set for the sale of summer homes More and more in cabins are springing up Beaver Creek Canyon and andIn in th the Weber Canyon above Oakley To care caro for the rapid spread of tourism Colton and his lads have added 55 65 family units this summer summer These units include tables for eight to 16 picnickers grills grille fire circles 1 parking arking spurs and toilet facilities all facilities-all all in heavily wooded scenic areas Each family fam fam- family ily unit costs about The added traffic combined wi with wl h the terrific he heat tand and drought r o of the summer of 1961 have added more than the customary amount of worry lor for the Forest Service Fire Hazard Worst The fire hazard right now is the worst in the his history tory of the Service Colton said It can only i ie lie be e described bed as as extreme Were We're i doing everything we can to prevent prevent pre pre- i vent a b bad d fire but of course we cant can't be everywhere at once And there is JB an awful lot of very rugged country up there J Just Juit st thi think k what a a big over over- over all fi forest sorest fire would do to the economy economy econ econ- I omy of the Kamas Valley ValleT It F would wipe out our three greatest of income No lumber Industry No dairy Industry because because be be- cause there wouldn't be water on barren slopes And no tourists d To improve the fire fighting technique in his bib area Colton is training 16 16 I men to work with helicopters Two-man Two teams can I do a lot with proper tools it tho thor they can get to a fire in a hurry burry h he reminded A can go places I in 15 minutes which would take hours to reach by up pick-up Jeep or horse i The men are aro being trained to battle flames names from quick landings and from a six-foot six Jump jum jump depend depending ing upon the terrain Keith Reith Bailey superintendent of ot South Summit High has been won wonderfully cooperative Colton said Weve been training on the football field hes he's been helping with everything and its it's wonderful wonder wonder- ful to know that the expenditure of only a few hundred dollars enables enables enables en en- ables us to help prevent losses looses of many millions |