Life, 1919-05-15 · page 39 of 50
Life — May 15, 1919 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satirical piece, but rather a **public service advertisement** from the United States Railroad Administration promoting domestic vacation travel to American national parks and resorts. **Historical Context:** The ad encourages Americans to visit scenic destinations across all regions—West, East, and Central—emphasizing national parks like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and the Adirondacks. It frames vacation travel as a "health investment" that renews energy and joy. **Key Point:** This appears designed to boost railroad passenger traffic during the post-WWI period when transportation facilities were "again at your service for pleasure trips." By offering free informational booklets about vacation destinations, the railroads encourage Americans to travel domestically rather than abroad. **For Modern Readers:** This reflects an era when railroads dominated vacation travel, before automobiles and commercial aviation became dominant. The patriotic language ("every American owes himself a visit") suggests government backing of domestic tourism as economic stimulus and national pride. This is essentially **travel advertising masquerading as civic duty**.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
our Vacation [rip Plan It Now Let These Free Booklets Guide You. Titles Booklets WEST Rociy Mountain Navonal Park Colorado wstone pred ty betweer cal, ty Grand Canyon National Park \rizona Mount Rainier National Park Washington 1 Lake al Park egon . mite National Park California * oia and General Grant National Parks California . Hot Springs Navonal Park kansas . Zicn Canyon Nation. Monument Utah . Petiied Forest Natior sl Monument \rizona Colo:sdo and Utah Rockies * California for the Tourist : Pacific Northwest and Alaska * Arizona and New Mexico Rockies To the National Parks, to the seashore or the Tiles Gt BeGReIs lakes; to the mountains, the woods or places of historic interest. EAST New England Lakes Make this a summer of Vacation Travel. The trans- and -roantaine portation facilities of the Nation are again at your service . 2 ; Along for pleasure trips. New England Shores : 5 North and East North, South, East and West, in every section, glorious Gf Boston out-of-door playgrounds beckon you. Heed the call. Get * away. See unfamiliar places. Know the scenic beauties New Renee lew England Shores and grandeur of your own land. South of Boston ° Every American owes himself a visit to our National New Jersey Seashore Parks—a vast region of peaks, canyons, glaciers, geysers, —_ big trees, volcanoes, prehistoric ruins, and other wonders. Aeron Pan P Th d Islands Visit the seashore, the lakes, the mountains, the woods, — and the many places of historic charm. Choose the seclusion Saratoga Springs of the camp or the enjoyment of social life at the great ond Lake Cho evisin ° resorts. Niagara Falls Money and time spent in a well-planned vacation is a and Highlands of health investment. Its returns are big in renewed energy Ontario and the joy of living. Catskill Mountains . and Summer Excursion Fares Sullivan County to National Parks and Principal Resort Regions New York Printed on this page is a list of book- | These booklets will help you decide The Poconos lets, covering summer-time attractions. | where to go. They are furnished free. Delaware Water Gap Mauch Chunk Note the different titles. Decide -—_—— Ask your local ticket agent to ‘and SoasAl Or .. which you want. & & help you plan your trip—or apply Chautauqua Lake Each booklet is attractively f¥ KE} tothe nearest Consolidated Ticket . illustrated and contains up-to- i Office—or mail the coupon below Long Island, N. Y. date, authoritative information. ad “pb to the nearest Travel Bureau. Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains -UNITED-STATES - RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION: (Southern Travel Bureau Travel Bureau Travel Bureau Penney tyenis 143 Liberty Street 646 Transportation Building 602 Healey Building farylan New York City Chicago ‘Atlanta Northern Virginia) Summer Resorts Mail this coupon to the nearest Travel Bureau for Free Booklets of the section in the South you plan to visit. CENTRAL Northern Lakes (Wisconsin Minnesota, Iowa Mlinois and Upper Michigan) * Please mail me booklets as follows: Name, - Street Address, Michigan City. State _— (Lower Peninsula) comicbooks.com