OST -2- River at Hew Orleans and Berwick Bay at Morgan City, La. The southern, people have financed and constructed Beyond all dreams of a few years ago. In 1922 it v/as realized that if the Old Spanish Trail v/as to he Built there would Be needed $50,000,000 Between St. augustine and San antonio Before it could Be declared open. Moreover highways southward to the Old Spanish Trail must also Be Built. In 1922 the Old Spanish Trail v/as officially condemned as impossible, and local people looking Back on generations of slow progress could not see their way to finance such costly construction. The highway departments v/ere sold on the public value of this southern trunk line and local people were sold on their ability to do unusual things. Today the Old Spanish Trail is declared By experienced travelers the Best and most interesting across the continent. Florida and California are now connected Y/ith good driving and the people are learning they can play Back and forth. Another $50,000,000 will Be needed for improvements, road widening and Better routes through cities and tov/ns----the highway departments are proceeding steadily with this. A work many Believed could not Be accomplished in 20 years has Been put over in five years. In addition tributary roads are opening in all directions. lew gulf coast resorts are Building. Hew gulf ports are opening and the old ones Building and growing. Winter garden districts are sending truck and vegetables to the frozen north totaling millions of dollars annually. Oil and natural gas, sulphur and salt mining are Becoming giant industries. Hew hotels total tens of millions; new capital investments exceed $500,000,000-----and this country is hardly touched yet. The whole Gulf of Mexico country from Key West around to Old Mexico