Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-10-04
AS OTHERS SEE US.
Something Ab0ut Dec0rah and Some of
Her Citizens, as Viewed by a
Casual Visitor.

fortune of those who know him in
Decorah to enjoy call from o. J..
Laylander. the congenial representa-
tive of CHM & Co.. school book pub
fishers. who was formerly superinten.
dent of schools at Cedar Falls. and is
we'll and favoxably known throughout
the state. He is one of those big
hearted men who gets about as much
out Of life as anyone can and gets 1t
easy, To his natural wit is added an
abundance of common sense ability
gained from wide range of study
and experience in the field of life. and
when he bumps against mis- competitors
in contest for business he seldom
fails to get his share of it.
A few weeks ago he spent Sunday
in Decorah. and the old town looked
so good to him that he wrote the fol-
lowing, which appears in "The West
ern Teacher" for September -
'The Switzerland of Iowa" is a
area lying for the most part. in the
Big Four, the counties of Allamakse.
Winneshiek. CLAYTON. and Fayette
Between the palisades that have made
that portion of the Mississippi close
rival OF the Hudson. and the broad.
black. unduiating gardens of north
central Iowa is the most interesting
region in Iowa TO the Student of nature.
On rocky hill and river wall the
ancient glacier left its everlasting
autograph. The great, green curtains
of midsummer hide manv cave and
cavern. The pebhled brook calls you
to follow the tortuOus path to it's
birthplace, where the gushing gurg-
ling spring has broken through the
rocky wall 1t is as if old Nature
had planted on the prairie rest spot
for tired eyes. a perpetual reminder
of the bovnood home among the
Alleghanies. or of far off Norway.
whence so many of the peope of this
region sprung.
On shelf of the Upper Iowa, in
one OF the green pockets that here
abound. lies DecOrah. city of so. 900.
according to the strangers guess, if
he has come in the night, aud bases his
Judgment on the Hotel Winneshiek.
Winnesheik means ''little chief. I"
Tradition has It that there was
nothing little about what the famous
chief did. and his present-dav
namesakes have made good by show
ing that size is no important element
of greatness. For. in reality. Decorah
has less than 5000 people. The lion
has but one cub. but it is a lion.
Decorah does not boast of its size
it does not coast at all, it goes right
on ENJOYING itself. welcoming the
stranger. and providing comfort for
all. There is not a citv in Iowa that
could not learn lessons in living from
Decorah.
Decorah is wealthy, and its monied
men are not jealous of each other.
They work as a unit in enterprise
looking toward the general good. A
few months ago they concluded that
the town needed hotel commensurate
with the splendid court house. the
opera hodse. and the beautiful homes.
and forthwith they made it. They
did not stop to ask whether it would
pay dividend or call for an assess
ment; they wanted 1t and they built
it. Last Sunday at midday we sat
in one of the cosiest of dining rooms
where artistic decoration. fine equip.
ment. good music. and menu that
would have cost you V at the Annex
or the Stratford, all combined to give
the place stamp Of unusuality. In
beauty and in appointment the entire
hostelry would be credit to any city.
Here. too. is an opera house good
enough for city ten times as large.
1t was built by stock company.
and I am told that nearly every man
in town took stock, many laborers
working out subscriptions. These
people patronize good entertainments
and get them, too.
DEBORAH is Norwegian headquarters.
The Decorah Posten has the largest
circulation of any weekly Norwegian
paper in the world Its owner is one
of the strong men of this community.
It is not manv years since Mr..
Anundsen landed in Decorah Den-
nilass printer. One look into his face
shows that he has deserved all the
success the wears have brought him.
A block up the street is the workshop
of another whose name is known and
respected "on the other side. Is it
not rather unusual that banker in
q little Iowa town. a busy man with
q "hobby.' as he mo destly calls it.
should be worlds authority in
botany 1t is true story. and Mr..
E. w. d. Holway. ex-banker. with q
penchant for science. made one of the
most famous collections known of one
family OF fungi. A few years ago
he denoted the entire collection to the
University of Minnesota. He now fills
a professorship in that institution as
q medium for giving the public
benefit of his research, and devotes
his time to study and to travel. in
pursuit of his specialtv.
Decorah is the educational center of
this region. This is the homo Of Luther
College. of the Valdez Business School.
of Decorah Institute. and of one of
the best systems of public schools in
the state. Here IL was that sturdy
old John Breckenridge lived and
worked and died. The type is extinct.
The Breckenridges Of today never get
into school teaching. John Brecken-
ridge influenced more men than any
other man in northeastern Iowa. Q.
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