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Show 77 national parks appeared in newspapers' weekly automotive sections. The Salt lake Tribune and Deseret News ran multiple features in their automotive sections on excursions to Zion and surrounding attractions. A regular feature in 71te Salt lake Tribune was by a reporter who traveled the state mapping roads for publication in the Sunday newspaper. These maps were accompanied by photographs and short descriptions of various destinations. The feature also was a publicity tool for automobile-related products. For example, each article contained a sentence similar to this one from an excursion fearuring Zion: "It is the work of The Tribune-Overland pathfinder car, equipped with Firestone tires and using Vico oils, to strip map all highways in the intermountain country which arc used by motorists depending on The Tribune for their road information."217 As well as advertising Firestone and Vico, the feature aimed to expose Utahns to their state. This meant the pathfinder feature occasionally exaggerated the condition of the roads: 'Two recent trips over the Zion park [sic] highway show this road in good condition. The heavy travel and lack of rain arc causing dust to appear in several places, bul, taking the route as a whole, it is not in bad condition.',2u The Deseret News also promoted travel on the roads leading to Zion National Park. ''The Deseret News has built a large sign, as a map and guidcboard, for the convenience of the traveling public on the Zion Park Highway." The paper explained that its policy was to "encourage and promote travel throughout the intermountain region, to W. D. Rishel, "Pathfinder Reports on Zion Park Road, Travel Heavy From Here to St. George," Sall lake Trib1111e, July 18, 1920, 8. 111 m Salt lake Trib1111e, "Zion Park Highway is Mapped, Roads Good to Southern Points," July 25, 1920. |
