At the end of 2008, Jim McClure's York Town Square blog featured a big post looking at the Susquehanna Trail as it heads north through the county.
In it, he mentions an unusual publication. He quotes from a 1997 YDR story: "Williamsport's Chamber of Commerce promoted the road by yet another name. It did so in a booklet, 'The Susquehanna Trail,' published in 1930 and in previous years. Williamsport was promoting its hotels as ideal stopping places between Washington, D.C., and Niagara Falls, N.Y."
I recently found a copy of that exact booklet!
What's great is that our main north-south throughway, the Trail, is described on it as "the Road of Never-Ending Delight." What a thought!
It's a fascinating booklet. I love how it starts: "No Valley in the entire continent exceeds in beauty that of the Susquehanna. ... It is a panorama of hills, of contributing valleys and of pine and hemlock clothed mountains."
It goes on to describe the road itself: "Taking its name from the Susquehanna Valley which it traverses for nearly a hundred miles, the Susquehanna Trail is an unbroken concrete ribbon four hundred and fifty miles long, connecting the most important two places in America - Washington, the capitol of the nation; Niagara, the wonder of the world."
Well, at least when the booklet was published, that's what the Trail did. To find out what's left of it, check out Jim's post.
And don't forget to vote for your favorite C of York County - right now, it's a tie!
I am soooo jealous. Where did you find that copy? That is a real treasure to have.
Here's a "York-ism" to consider that I heard from a native Yorker today. "Tin foil." As in aluminum foil. I must admit I have not heard that expresssion in a very long time.