2

A Trip to the Ozarks #2

in order to reli^eve the situation, we were compelled to send back
to Fort Smith, and so did not reach Winslow, until the second mor-
ning after leaving Forth Worth.

Our course of travel was thru Dallas, Denison, Sherman, Texas,
Durant and Macalester, Okla., and Fort Smith, Ark. As I stated
a moment ago, between Sheman and Denison we lost our way, . . .
About midnight, as we were traveling along a road, which we knew
could not by any manner of means be a public highway, we inquired
of a farmer living near if we were on the right road to Denison.
"Yes", he said, "you are on the right road to Denison, but
you are going the wrong way to get there." This recalls to
many that episode of Alice in Wonderland, Alice seeing the Chesire
cat says to her, "Will you tell me please which way I ought to
go from here?" "That depends, says the cat," on which way
you want to go".

Near Denison, Texas, we crossed the Red River by a bridge, which,
as it was constructed by private enterprise, was not a part of the
public highway, and was consequently a toll bridge. This bridge
was constructed at considerable cost, and its construction called
into exercise, not only the highest skill of the engineers, but
also much patience, endurance and long-suffering on their parts, for
the bed of the Red River, where the bed crossed it, is composed not
only of shifting sands, but of quicksand, as well, so that the
erecting of the piers and abutments of the bridge was a long,
tedious, and difficult undertaking.

There are 15 of these toll bridges, which, spanning Red River here and
there along the Texas Oklahoma border, constitute an important ele-
ment in the interstate traffic of the two states. Recognizing the
importance of devising some method, of formulating some plan,
by which theis antiquated, primitive, burdensome and troublesome
form of traffic restriction might be done away with, the officials
representing the two states of Texas and Oklahoma, in conferring
together with regard to the matter, decided to represent to their
respective state authorities the necessity of either purchasing these
bridges and making them free to public or else of conjointly contruc-
ting their own bridges over Red River which automatically would be-
come free to trade and travel. As a result of this conference and its
action, it is reasonable to expect that the day is not far distant
when these bridges, as toll bridges, will be done away with, and that
trade and travel over the Red River will be as free, unrestricted and
unhampered as they now are over the public highways of the two states
whose interests in the matter are not only mutual, but of equal and
preeminently reciprocal importance.

One of the neatest and most attractive cities thru which we passed,
a city which would commend itself favorably to everyone and anyone,
on seeing it for the first time, was Forth Smith, Ark., The original
town of Fort Smith was laid out in 1838, so that that part of the
present city, which includes the site of the original town, is
90 years old. The town derived its name, which name it has
transmitted to the city, from the fact that when it was laid out
in 1838, there was on the land adjoining it a government reservation
post called "Fort Smith".

The present city is admirably situated, commanding, as it does, an
extensive view of Arkansas River. The land round about is diversi-
fied by hills and dales, the former of which rise by gentle graditions