Flagstaff History: Writer said Jerome should be a professional ghost town

100 years ago

1926: Gustave Becker, pioneer merchant of Springerville, and Tobias Younis, merchant of Concho, immigration commissioner of Apache County, both of them good roads enthusiasts, were visitors at Wednesday night’s meeting Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce. Their principal mission here was to set at rest the rumors that Springerville is fighting the National Old Trails highway and routing westbound auto traffic through McNary and Rice south. The proof the gentlemen brought was abundant and left no doubt of their sincerity and the thoroughness with which they are cooperating with the National Old Trails. They are publishing a daily tourist paper, of which Mr. Younis is editor, in which the National Old Trails and Grand Canyon route is forcefully advertised. Their stationery carries a map of the Old Trails to Grand Canyon. It was pointed out by Mr. Younis that his town, Concho, being north of Springerville, if tourists were routed south from Springerville they would not go through Concho. Both gentlemen asserted they are vitally interested in seeing all traffic possible come north over the National Old Trails and they are not interested at all in the McNary-Rice route south. Mr. Becker called attention to the new roads from the east and south centering at Socorro, N.M., which when completed will make six big feeder highways pouring traffic into Springerville and north to us. He said the Holbrook-Springerville road is surfaced and drivers can, without shifting gears, average 75 miles an hour on it if they care to drive that fast.