Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-18
OUR LETTER BOX.
NATIONAL MlE1ETlING OF BLKS.
Editor State Herald:

AN<hiLOAN1Al< Lf4AIIiA UT 1lAAo. jEdb:or State Herald:
 The writer begs spai-re in which to call the Gttertion of the Elks and cur citl- zsrls to some two or three points which he deems of interest.
 E l. That at .he national meeting of the Eflks at Minneapolis thbs summer those from Birmingham win naturally desire a4 proper. souvenir to present to the other "princsis of goed fellows" they meee there E 2 Could net such souvenir be pre- parsd,s giving, in addition TO the Itinerary, ] etc, matter briefly descriptive of Bir- m1ngham, its climate resources, etc.,
 3. Also calling attention s,1 its healshful- ness and the fact hat it lies in the pathway from the north, east and west to the south, and that all travellers, win ter tourists, home-seekers, ec., will find the stopping over several days, weeks or morths to be time we'll spent also, call ing atten,ioni to the fact that B;rming- nam hsl: excellent hotels and boarding houses fer the entertaining of those who visit Birmingham.
 Favorable advertising is what Birming- ham and every cl her live, 9huStfing city seeks, and such opportunities as this cr,le at Minneapolis cancpt be afforded to pass without taking advantage of it.
 In the trip to Minneapolik naturally the Elks and o hers taking the trip will desire to avail themselves of the most beautiful scenery, points Of historic and general interest, etc, which leads the writer to offer some suggestions i'm the ma;ter Don't fail to go via Milwaukee, stapplng over there to visit Schlftz park, the Soldiers Home whose be,aIltilfrI grounds alone will we'll repay for the time, etc, required for seeing all; the Pabst Brewing company's enormous brewery, and trip upon Lake Michigan to Whitetish bay of a. couple of hours or so. Oconomorroc lake lies upon the route from Milwaukee tef the dalles of tdhsa Wisconsin, and it Is upon the stnores of this lake tha. P. D. Armour has a pal- at1al summer residence, as also have scores of other very wealthy Chcagoans.
 Don't fail to stop and xperAd few hours at the Danes of the Wisconshn, including ride through the rapids upon one of the several. sdaamboa,.s plying there, and generally some excellent fishing can be had there. ) fs
 @ezAt Sparta, Wis, you will find what is admitted to be the finest stream known for speckled trout fishing and is the s ream from which David Cheney. Esq. caught the champion speckIed trout string of the world. At La Crosse you cross the Father of, Waters (the ATissis vSssappi river) as the noible red men termed Fit, and frsm La Crosse to Minneauolis { the Chicago, Milwaukee and Sr. Paul railroad skirts the Mississippi closely much of the way, but occasionally bends oe9 phrough some of the immense wheat felds so common in that stat (Minne- soba).
  Don't fail to take i'm all the sights be- tween La Crosse and MlinneapoE!s, for such ba'eutiful views as you will realize Of Lake Pepipt etc, are too good to be 1. lost. and especially when ct attended with any extra exp'-nse. It is along through the valley of the Mississippi between La Crosse and St. Paul t5at ma ny tra gic fnonttsr battles were fought. a nd InfisDs yet to some extent inhabit that section of the country.
 The world wide hss1aafy. trir, of E,tb ,e1.s Marquette and Joliet YVES, made from sainn'sapolfs down the Msssisaippi river J 10 La Crc~Sa. which occurred 224 years ,gago Gin 167al. and after visiting the braweries and ether sights of Milwaukee, the Dalles of tke Wiseor,'dn and a trip through The Inferno Grotto, the tourist Elk would be parcort>d for, in riding up the valley from La Crosse -toy Minneap- olis. to think he saws,in -sonip of the na,- merous boats upon Lake Penip, or about Wa'bs.sha, Red Wing. etc.. Fathers Mar quette and Joliet ein route upon thedr worthy mission If civiiziug and Ca;holo- onZing The wdld atoriginets who were then the sole c'ceur1r,1- cf that valley.
 =. , -' JAMES F. SLATER