Frederic George Young

“ While the enduring bronze tablets and imposing columns with their impressive emblematic historical representations, will stand as appealing sentinels, daily reminding the dwellers at these sites of a heroic and romantic past, the enthusiastic receptions given the Columbia River Expedition at the larger cities, like Great Falls, Spokane, Portland and Astoria, may kindle an influence with even more vital results through the prestige thus given regional history. ”

“ Transcontinental railway travel through such memorials and other means, kindling historical mindedness, will be indispensable schooling for attaining broad gauged citizenship. Such visual education would give the American voter his bearings in many of the great issues he has to decide. ”

“ With the development of these historical activities this railway corporation is establishing a new feature in American railway transportation service. Only the high-minded directorates of other companies probably will have the discernment to follow suit in kindred undertakings. ”