Aviation High School - Talon Yearbook (Redondo Beach, CA)

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JW ' iMs U j:M i vis sjifeS; . in? « . . . unmarked trails evolved to freeway mazes

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The ast stretch of land west of the Mississippi was rugged and treacherous. Transportation was Umited in those first days. Three choices existed in getting to the western plains. Wagon trains crossed deserts and mountains; second choice was crossing the tropical-diseased jungles of the Pan- ama Canal ; third option was to take the long wind-swept voyage around Cape Horn and up the coast to San Francisco. As the West progressed, stage coaches provided another choice. But as time passed, the transcontinental railroad connected the East and West to form a unified America. The Old V est has gi en wav to the jet age. Su- personic planes, carrying 300 people, are being developed. Spaceage jets can travel cross-conti- nent in a matter of hours. Horses provided a mode of transportation in the old West, but today horse- back riding is done for enjoyment. News stories took a month to get from one coast to another. Today, stories, pictures, and in- formation can be transmitted cross-nation in a matter of minutes. Television and radio provide world information that is both interesting and in- formative. The discoxery of the telegraph opened up a vast system of communication that linked the West with the rest of the nation. Pony Express riders carried mail across the country, bringing informa- tion from one coast to the other. The Pony Express was the forerunner of the present postal system. Frigates of yesteryear have progressed to fast freighters and slim and sleek ocean liners. Today ' s automobiles play an important part in the trans- |)ortation complex. The rugged unmarked trails oi vore ha e evoked to the super-speed freeway mazes. The transportation progressioit has adx.mced in manv way.s. but the future holds main more im- provements. What seems modern to us. w ill prob- ably be ob.solete to the twenty-first century man. The western pioneer of 1849 would probably be amazed at today ' s progress.

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Entertainment and sports are universal . 99 Auctioning of box lunches and cries of swing your partner round and round are not heard ery often today. The one-time church sponsored activi- ties are giving way to the psychedeHc splendor of teenage discotheques. Ice cream socials have melt- ed away to pri ate parties with bands, two dollars a couple. There was little for the miners of the Old West to do after they put in a full day ' s hard work ex- cept to drink and gamble. Today new, civic-spir- ited groups have been formed to satisfy man ' s gre- garious nature. Social clubs provide fun and re- laxation from the pressures of everyday life. Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass reflect the renewed popularity of Spanish music. Television programs bring the viewer back to the period dur- ing which the West was won. Amusement parks such as Disneyland and Knott ' s Berry Farm en- able people to relive a day in an old western at- mosphere. Sports also provide enjo ment for people of all ages. In the supersonic age, large crowds still come to see men perform on horses in the rodeo, becau.se it provides a tcm]jorary esca])e from real- ity. Entertainment and sports are universal, but the men and wf)men of todav ' s West still can find en- joyment based 1)11 their (iwii proud heritag e.