Our Changing West

Our collection of Western memorabilia includes a brochure titled, "Grand Cañon," published by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1901, from which we reprint the following: The Bright Angel Hotel, managed by Mr. J. W. Thurber, who also controls the stage line, trail stock, guides, etc., is a comfortable frame and log structure of eight rooms, with an annex of six rooms. The rates are $3.00 per day, American plan; the accommodations are excellent. The reception room, heated by means of an old-fashioned fireplace, and tastefully carpeted with Indian rugs, is provided with capacious rocking chairs and a piano; the furnishing of the hotel throughout is very satisfactory. There is no "roughing it," but one must not expect city luxuries. A telephone line connects the hotel with the outer world at Williams. While one ought to remain a week, a stop-over of three days from the trans-continental trip will allow practically two days at the Cañon. One full day should be devoted to an excursion down Bright Angel trail, and the other to walks and drives along the rim. Another day on the rim making a four days' stop-over in all will enable visitors to get more satisfactory views. The round-trip ticket rate (rail and stage), Williams to Grand Cañon and return, is only $10.00. Adding $6.00 for two days' stay at Cañon hotel, $2.00 for part of a day at hotel in Williams, $2.50 for probable proportion of cost of guide, $3.00 for trail stock, and the total necessary expense of the three days' stop-over is about $25.00 for one person; each additional day only adds $3.00 to the cost for hotel.Since that time we have lived through economic and monetary theories and practices which cause us to wonder whether progress is worth the money. Despite the drop in the dollar value and the rising prices of gold and silver, the fact is that one receives more for his money in the United States of America than anywhere else on this planet. It will only take a seven day air-jet flight to seven nations suffering terminal cases of super-inflation to convince an American that there is something wonderfully healthy about a prosperity based on progress and profit. At times progress is not always glorious, nor profit equitably shared and deserved. Nevertheless, no American who has lived through two World Wars, The Great Depression and a series of Crises can deny that adversities have been the forge and fire which have improved our standards of endeavor and efficiency. It is with a feeling of great satisfaction that we look back over the road we thought was impassable and not regret the trouble we had been at to arrive where we are.

The roads of our pioneer founders did not just go somewhere and stop. Today our roads go everywhere and never stop. There is no retreating to frontiers. In building the world's greatest highways system we have lost our frontiers. Those who live with memories of past generations have lost something which coming generations will never experience and certainly will never miss.

BACK ISSUES - ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

At long last, after many hours of sorting and with the help of a number of loyal friends, I have reduced my stock of 8,500 back numbers of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS to some semblance of order, although my shelving situation is still far from satisfactory and I still have a great deal of work to do.

It would be of great help to me if patrons of ARIZONA HIGHWAY: in search of back numbers not in stock at your office might be referred to me. If you have no objection to having this done, I shall be most grateful if my card is kept in the back numbers section for referral to persons in search of issues not available there. Please drop by to see the newly-oriented shop. I am open daily (excepting Monday) from 1 to 6 p.m.