A NATIONAL HIGHWAY
The Old Spanish Trail is recognized nationally, and by the states, and by the War Department, as an essential project. It is not a promotion doomed to failure. The workers behind the OST are developing a national enterprise of established importance. The state and federal governments are appropriating funds for construction as fast as engineers can work.
This Highway is the backbone of the Southern Trunkline System recently adopted establishing the Old Spanish Trail and certain recognized trunklines from the North as a connecting system to be promptly completed to open the south country to northern travel. The OST is one of the accepted four great transcontinental trunklines. It is the only one for all-the-year travel. It opens the lands that have lured the people from the beginning of time.
The men are building. The women are organizing to beautify, to sign the historical places, to work against the roadside advertising nuisance, to design a distinctive historical marker, and to preserve the natural attractions and the wealth of historical values.
BUILDING FOR PERMANENCE
The people are served best where they develop one nationally known trunkline and put behind it a strong organization, than where their road is given over to the pretensions of promoters and a confusion of names and markings.
The territory of every highway of recognized standing is infested with promoters soliciting money on the pretense of new highway or mapping schemes. This achieves nothing of permanent value, but hinders and often cripples legitimate effort. An established organization governed by and for its membership will achieve results of value to both property and business. Old Spanish Trail Headquarters is administered by an Executive Board of San Antonio business men, and the Highway itself is broken into divisions that are rapidly being organized under local vice-presidents and councilors working in cooperation with the national headquarters.
WEST TEXAS PLAYGROUNDS
A new summer and winter playground west of San Antonio is opening to the people: The Guadalupe Hills, Boerne to Junction; the Frio Canyons, north from Sabinal and Uvalde; the Bandera Hills, west from San Antonio; the Davis Mts., with gateways at Ft. Davis a!“j Balmorhea. All this country is being made accessible by the Old Spanish Trail markings and travel information.
EAST TEXAS COUNTRY
This section begins with the plains country at Orange with an elevation of 10 ft. The hills begin west of Houston. At San Antonio the elevation ranges from 700 to 800 ft. The San Antonio-El Paso section is a rugged hill, canyon and mountain country, with elevations up to 9000 ft.
Rice farming, cattle raising and oil production prevail in the Orange-Houston district. Houston to San Antonio is a prosperous small farming country.
Orange, Beaumont and Port Arthur are three port cities rapidly attaining distinction, and crowding New Orleans for shipping honors.
THE MARKING SYSTEM
TRUNKLINES
OST 1—Main Line, St. Augustine to San Diego.
OST 2—San Antonio to Rio Grande Valley and Mexico. OST 3—San Antonio—Del Rio—Davis Mountains.
OST 4—Along the Rio Grande, Mexican Border.
OST 5—Connect Houston with the Mexican Extension. OST 6—Tampa to Main Line in Florida, proposed.
TOURIST LOOPS TL instead of OST, and numbers. Same color system.
DETOURS AND CONSTRUCTION
Possible detours may occur between the following points. Make local inquiries of OST councilors and chambers of commerce.
Orange and Beaumont. Construction.
Beaumont and Liberty. Construction.
Liberty and Dayton. Construction.
Missouri City and Sugarland. Construction.
Rosenberg and E. Bernard. Dirt Road.
Gonzales and Seguin. Construction.
Schertz and San Antonio. Construction.
VOTE FOR THE HIGHWAY AMENDMENT
Election Day for the Texas Highway Amendment, July 28, 1923
This amendment is necessary to the continuance of Federal Aid to Texas, and for the proper construction and maintenance of the state and interstate highways planned in the interest of the people.