MANAGING DIRECTOR—H. B. AYRES, san antonio. texas
Telephone Crockett 2268
PRESIDENT—Dr. Fred B. Johnston, san antonio. texas. VICE PRESIDENTS:
FLORIDA—F. W. MARSH, pensacola, Florida ALABAMA—John Craft, mobile. Alabama MISSISSIPPI—H. S. WESTON. LOGTOWN, miss. LOUISIANA—Martin Behrman. new Orleans, la. EAST TEXAS—W. E. LEA. orange, texas WEST TEXAS—Walter Schreiner, kerrville. te WESTERN—A. H. GARDNER, tombstone. Arizona SOUTH TEXAS-W. R. PERKINS, alice. texas
D. E. COLP, Mgr. Western Dept., San antonio. texas
SECRETARY-HERBERT BayusS, lake Charles, la. TREASURER—M. G. McNair.gulfpoht. miss.
FIELD ENGINEER-Harry LOCKE.losangeles.cal.
DIRECTORS—S. H. PECK, mobile, alasama
R. H. Fleming, new Orleans, la.
H. A. McDonald, beaumont. texas J. C. Baumgarten. schulenburg. texas
W. A. HUEY, ASST. SECY, san antonio.TEXAS
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
June 10th, 1923
Mr. H. B. Ayres*
Washington, D. Co
Dear Harra}.:-
JuBt returned from an inspection of the Davis Mountains last night about ten o'clock,. Got caught in a rain spell in West Texas.
Had some trouble fighting mud, rain, etc., but I am more than pleased with the trip. I went to Balmorhea and got our friend Van Deren in a terribly good humor, then I went over to Ft. Davis. Had a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce at 9 a.m«, and the membership meeting of the Chamber was called for 3 p.m. and I advised them to call a meeting at Ft. Davis for the next night at 8 o’clock and get on the telephone and ask every town within 100 $iles of Ft. Davis to send over a committee for the purpose of formulating further plans in the interest of the proposed State Park and Old Spanish Trail Convention jointly. Next morning I went with a committee of three cars to Alpine to meet with the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, and when we got over there they called a meeting of the entire membership and had out a big bunch of fellows. I sold them on the idea of all the towns joining hands and making the 3 day Convention the biggest thing ever held in this country, and asked them to send a committee over to Ft. Davis that night, and they sent about 30 members of the Chamber of Commerce from thereo We went over to Marfa with practically the same results, and then back to Ft. Davis, and nearly all the towns were represented either in person or by wire, pledging their support at the night meeting, and we had one of the biggedt gatherings ever held in Ft. Davis that night.
Capt. Fauntleroy was inspecting the Bankhead Highway and I got him to come over and help me for a day and be with me that night, and I also used that as a "puller" on the other to.vns, and believe me that put it over in grand style. All the towfts pledged their co-operation and agreed to throw in their Fourth of July celebrations with the OST convention, which will put an attendance of somewhere between six and ten thouand people in the Limpia Canyon, eight miles from Ft. Davis, for this great convention and celebration.
The Automobile Club of El Paso, as well as the newspapers, pledged their loyal support, and I talked to some of the directors of Ifc Chamber of Commerce and they assured me that the Chamber of Commerce would get behind it and they would get a good crowd to go down as that part of the road is nearly completed and you can very easily make the trip in eight to ten hours, of the 300 miles. I got everything squared up with Miss Gilden and she is row boosti-»gs»_ the Old Spanish Trail and giving it prefSrence of routing, and she3"**3 is very enthusiastic about the convention.