INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION j.0 DEDICATE OLD SPANISH TRAIL MONUMENT ERECTED AT ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. Three Days* Pageantry Portraying Old Spanish Glories. San Antonio, Texas, Fob. 25th, 1929-----After thirteen years of incredible costs and toil the Old Spanish Trail has been opened across the continent and its dedication to American tourists will be celebrated at St. Augustine, Florida April 2nd, Jrd, and 4th. A monument has been erected marking the beginning of the highway at that "oldest city in the United States" and St. Augustino is reviving thoir Ponce do Leon Celebration of old Spanish pageantry as a part of the festival to proclaim the great construction project through the lands of the Spanish padres and conquistadores from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Spanish government has appointed representatives and the city and.county governments of St. Augustine and the civic organizations are all joined in organizing the festival. The governors of the southern states are being invited, for the opening of the Old Spanish Trail signalizes the great road and bridge building /progress of the South that now is aiding so much in making this country the industrial and agricultural empire of the nation. This information has just been released from Old Spanish Trail headquarters Th? past three years, OST officials say, road, bridge and paving construction costing tens of millions of dollars has been completed. Two-thirds of the paving between St. Augustine and San Antonio, Texas is completed and the remainder is financed Snd in progress. Last fall Louisiana voted funds for paving the JOO miles across that state, the last big eastern sector remaining unpaved. $54,000,000 have been poured into tne Sen Antonio—St. Augustine 3ector and $25,000,000 more are tc be spent for additional pavement and bridges. $16,000,000 have been spent on the western sector, San Antonio to San Diogo, California, There were 60 miles of ferriage on this highway 26 months ago, OST officials say; today the two short ferries remaining run day and night. Srinent writers have declared the Old Spanish Trail construction progress an o "ample of southern capacity for achievement. Men from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California have fought /aliant battles the past decade, it is stated, to finance and build this highway. Engineers and contractors have battled with bays, rivers, plains marshes and mountains and they have conquered every obstaolo. The St, Augurtine festival is to be the jubilee for these highway officials, engineers, builders, civic organizations and citizens ,for the highway stands as a tribute to their perseverance. Today dozens of cities and towns in these lands of the Spanish hidalgos have a story of new glories in the new empire now develop-■-ing in these southern borderlands.