FRANK G. JESTER. PRESIDENT
H. C. BRAMLEY. SEC Y-Treas.
Jctilas	(Ulitlr
Jlnllns, illsxns
July 6,1917.
S.A.leBlanc,sec.,
Old Spanish Trail Assn.,
Mobile,Ala.
Dear Sir:
. .. Friehds of The Old Spanish Trail will undoubtably he glad to hear that the route has been designated on its entire course through Texas for State and Federal aid. The reeently organized State Highway Department took this action the last week in June. This action included the road from Orange to Houston to Dallas and from Shreveport to Dallas and then from this City on to El Paso. A° you know Texas gets the largest appropriation from the United States under the good roads lav/ - nearly $5,000,000. This and the many thousands of dollars derived from the State automobile tax is going to be put on the roads of Texas as fast as they can be built.
The Dallas- El Paso stretch was in the first road designated for aid by the Department and stands ITo.l in the State. There is probably no road in the State which needs more attention that, the El Paso route. The sand is so bad on this stretch fight now,due to continued drouths, that it is really wrong to route anyone that way. P.ecent tourists over this road have told of detours for some distances in order to avoid the sand. Our friends are requested to tell travelers to detour when they reach Sweetwater and go north through Post,Tahoka,Plains and on thru Roswell,IT.M. to El Paso. There is a good road south from Roswell to El Paso.
Of course the road through the Sabind bottom between Lake Charles and Orange,still remains the bug-a-boo of the Trail in this section. We still have discouraging reports on this section and we are living in hopes of getting a report from there some day that there is a paved road throvigh the swamp and a bridge over the river. Let us not hope in vain.
Going v/est out of Orange the road is paved but several tourists recently have told us that the road is a little run down and has become rough in spots. We know,however that this will be given attention and has probably been fixed at this writing. Of course this is a splendid paved road into Houston.
From Houston north the road is in average good condition with many miles of paved road. It is alv/ays travelable although the going between ITavasota and Bryan and through Hill County is bad after a heavy rain. Hill County has promised to do something and I believe that