Denver’s Remarkable Overland Park
One of the most noted camping parks is Denver’s quarter million dollar automobile park. This park includes some seventy-five or eighty acres covered with fine groves of cottonwoods, maples and other trees. It was formerly the Overland Country Club, and is now called the Overland Motor Park. The former clubhouse, a three-story building containing twenty-four rooms, was remodeled for the convenience of tourists. The first floor contains a modern grocery store and meat market, kitchen, grill and lunch counter, steam table from which prepared foods are dispensed, billiard room, barber shop, men’s showers and comfort station and a laundry room, containing eight tubs for women campers. Both the laundry room and the showers are equipped with hot and cold water. On the second floor are located a large lounging room, equipped with a phonograph, where visitors may dance, a restaurant and soda fountain. The balconies of the building are also fitted with tables and chairs where refreshments may be served. On the third floor are located [[198]]the rooms of the concessionaire who handles the commercial features of the house, and the women’s showers and comfort station and lockers.
The campers register at the gate and are given written permits to occupy a certain lot in the park for a period of two weeks. After the expiration of this time, if the grounds are not crowded, the permit may be renewed. The city engineers have surveyed 800 camp lots, each 25 by 35 feet. These are marked by posts driven in the ground and numbered. The camp area, however, may be extended to any required size upon short notice.
Pipes have been extended from the city water mains, so that no camper is more than 150 feet from a water hydrant. The camp is also lighted by powerful incandescents from the city lighting system. Several strictly modern comfort stations have been erected at various points in the grounds. Overland Park was at one time the site of an interstate exposition, and several of these exposition buildings have been utilized in the scheme of development. One of them houses an automobile repair shop and a garage, as well as a moving picture theater seating 400 people. At the entrance of the park is an automobile filling station, where gasoline, oil and motor accessories may be obtained.
It is obvious that a great many of these accommodations are put in for the convenience of the camper, but must be conducted as concessions. However, the free service the camper receives includes the following: Camp lot, water and electric [[199]]light, hot and cold showers for men and women, sanitary conveniences, laundry, lounging and dancing room. The grounds are well policed night and day by park authorities.
So much for a motor-camping park in and conducted by a great city. However, the great Overland Camping Park of Denver does not surpass in completeness of service some of the parks maintained by small localities. Take an example. Alhambra is situated six miles northeast of Los Angeles and three miles from Pasadena. Alhambra boasts that it has the most complete auto camp in California, and California is the land of auto camps. It is situated for rest and comfort in a clean and sanitary location amid a stately grove of eucalyptus trees. The entire camp is well graveled, smooth, level, no mud, no dust, no fog, electrically lighted, under police protection.
The camp has an amusement hall, inclosed, with new player piano and fine dancing floor for the free use of guests. Also free to campers is an electric laundry room with concrete floor, hot and cold running water, sewerage, large new electric washer and wringer, other washers, tubs, drying rack, ironing boards, electric iron connections, etc.
Further, the campers have free use of community kitchens, inclosed, new, sanitary, with water, screens, electric light and gas stoves for cooking. There is open plumbing. There are free shower baths, with hot and cold water. There is also a free rack and hose for cleaning autos. There is no time limit. [[200]]Each car is allotted a space twenty feet square, and the charge for camping space is fifty cents for each twenty-four hours. This appears to be the only charge.
These camps just described are but typical of a multitude of other camping parks, many of which are quite as attractive as those mentioned.
Most municipalities court the motor camper, and when the contrary is the case it is felt as a fault. One chamber of commerce secretary in an Indiana town writes, “We have no motor camp site. We are made up of a bunch of retired farmers, the most unprogressive lot of folks on earth.” The secretary of a Pennsylvania municipal commercial club gives the information, “This darn town don’t seem to want visitors as far as I can see.”
No doubt some motor campers are undesirable. One communication to a sporting publication says: “It is difficult to believe that people of even moderate intelligence can be as unsanitary as are many motor campers. Many auto campers pay no regard whatever to the game laws. Many auto campers steal. It is stealing for melons, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables and fruit to be taken from the fields.”
Two scenes from the camp site at Alhambra, California
The above is one side of the picture and a very small side. Most motor campers are decent, kindly folk whose presence is appreciated by the communities that they visit. Many places have found their motor-camping parks veritable gold mines. Aberdeen, S. D., reports that during the recent season [[201]]tourists spent over $175,000 in the town. The great profit that may derive from the wandering motor camper who proves to be an angel not at all disguised may be seen from a report rendered to the American Automobile Association a couple of years ago to the effect that in a single season 460,000 tourist cars had visited the state, and that their occupants had spent in the state a sum of not less than $40,000,000.
As indicated above, much of the tabulated information is new. In addition to the questionnaire already alluded to much information relating to motor-camping sites has been obtained from state and national sources. Use has also been made of lists of municipal camping parks already published, and corrections made in the information supplied from such sources when necessary.