At 8:15 p.m., the group moved to the lodge dining room where a sumptuous banquet given by the Utah Parks Company was followed by a program at which Superintendent Smith presided and interestingly introduced the speakers. Ranger in charge, John G. Lewis gave the address of welcome. Reminiscences of the early days in the Utah National Parks were related by Dr. Woodbury, who also referred to the outstanding work which Mr. B. J. Finch, formerly of the Bureau of Public Roads, did in pioneering the Zion-Mt Carmel Highway and Tunnel. [Illustration: Lean-to Natural Bridge overlooking Springdale in Zion Canyon. _Courtesy U. S. National Park Service._] Mr. Tillotson gave the main speech of the evening, in which he called attention to the great growth in travel into Bryce from 21,977 in 1929 to 189,493 in 1949, and pointed to the fine work of the Utah Parks Company in making this possible. He also reported that Dr. Thomas H. McDonald, Commissioner of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, who had been present in 1928 but could not come in 1949, wrote that “Bryce Canyon, since I first saw it, has been to me one of the most delightful places in the West. I have long felt that a vacation road from Southwest Colorado crossing the Colorado River and coming into Bryce Canyon through Escalante, if properly developed and controlled, offers the best opportunity in the west ...” and thus kindled a fire under the hopes of all Bryce enthusiasts for it would open up the heart of the great scenic area of southeastern Utah, of which, Zion, Bryce and Wayne Wonderland are on the outskirts. Mr. W. P. Rogers responded with a witty talk about old times, spoke of the fine cooperation of the Park Service and proposed a further reunion in another five years. The next day, the writer retraced old trails in Zion Canyon and visited the museum and park headquarters where Naturalist Walker explained the developments taking place. Especially prominent was the great increase in the literature available to the public provided by the Natural History Association that had been organized by the writer in 1929. This included pictures, colored slides and publications, among which the works of Dr. H. E. Gregory on the geology of the region were outstanding. [Illustration: (uncaptioned)] FOOTNOTES [2]J. W. Powell, _Exploration of the Colorado River of the West_ (Washington, D.C., 1875), p. 111. Erroneously reported as September 12, 1870. [3]William R. Palmer, “Pahute Indian Government and Laws,” _Utah Historical Quarterly_, Vol. II, No. 2, pp. 35-52.