Highway Officials Balicing at CQ3ta
Crusaders—^ 4
•■-'1 alone "ere the eastern people staggered with their problem but the State highway departments, now coning into power, were refusing to recognize numerous sections of the highway as mapped. They said they could not be financed and that some sections involved engineering problems that were too serious, dith this official attitude an overland trunkline existed only on paper and primary type construction was hardly possible anywhere until comolete designation was Officially established. This was the condition as 1921 ended. So the Managing Director transferred his headquarters from San Antonio to Mobile, -January 3, 1922, and from that city began the struggle to establish the Old Spanish Trail as an interstate and national project.
The Eastern Work of 1922
Dismal prospects were indicated at Mobile. A convention had been held at Gulfport, Mississippi, a year previously,January 2S-29, 1921, and no headway wa3 apparent toward eastern construction. Mobile Bay, ten miles wide, was but one of a number of bays to be crossed. Mow, on the Director's arrival, it was found Mobile was building a concrete road northward, following the bay and river course. Pensacola was likewise building a concrete road northward. Other eastern sections had abandoned the Old Spanish Trail idsz project. Senator •John Craft, of -'obile, with friendly interest called on the Managing Director and urged him to start eastern work somewhere else, saying conditions in that section doomed to failure any effort that might baaiads then be started. Senator Craft was also a member of the State highway department. To his credit, when the Director stayed at Mobile and began to build up interest, he cooperated continually.
rhe first step was to induce S.H.Peek, owner of the Battle House hotel, to invite the outstanding leaders of Mobile to an evening dinner. About twenty gathered around the big table and until midnight all phases of the eastern problems were discussed. Then followed weeks of conferences, travels, progress and discouragements. A conference of the leaders and officials of the eastern states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida^was decided upon. March 20-21, 1922 at that Pour-State Conference there gathered highway officials and county, city and civic officials and leaders. 'hey ably marshaled their program. Bridging Mobile Bay was authorized by the Alabama highway commission and official recognition for the Old Spanish Trail in the East was established. This was import-any progress but no money was in sight to bridge the Bav-vpr to undertake the general eastern program. Such construction, officials'said frankly, was not possible for years to come. One State chairman said, "It will be political suicide for us to assume such work now.” Another State refused cooperation, declaring a sector across a Gulf estuary could not be built to withstand tropical storm3. A dozen similar situations were stated by delegates.
Other serious factors entered. Up-state people were insisting a transconr-tinsntal trunkline could be built quicker and cheaper through Montgomery, Jackson, Shreveport, Dallas, westward—now U.S .Highway 80—and they argued this would serve all the people better, and that southern cities could have highways built northward to such trunkline. later, at 'Washington, the same reasoning had to be met. Some Old Spanish Trail cities were aleo favoring this policy; they insisted their first need wa3 highways from the North to their city.
These arguments wive an indication of the hundred and one problems that faced the crusading groups that were coming to the front in that country.