Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-19
INTERSTATE CLUB.
Oroaniz alton to Have its Home
Near Chattanooga is for
Whole Nation.
BOTH FOR LIONS AND LAMBS
Splendid Property Will Cost Millions
and Be Miles In Extent-Game
and Fish Preserves.

Walden's ridge, near Chattanooga.
Tenn, will. if certain large plans now
afoot go through, become within year
or two the home of the greatest coun-
try club in America. if not in the world.
The organization, which will be
known as the Interstate club, has al
ready been formed and is founded on
the idea that there is room in the
United States for a great nonpolitical
nonsectional association to which citi-
zens. big and little. of every state in
the Union may repair for recreation
and friendly intercourse.
The club will have a distinguished
membership. Senator J. C. S Black.
burn of Kentucky is president and
President Roosevelt, Vice President
Fairbanks, former President Grover
Cleveland and William j. Bryan are
members. Some of the vice presidents
are Secretaries Root and Taft, Speaker
Cannon. Leslie NJ. Shaw. Truman H.
Aldrich, Joseph Sibley, Nicholas Long
worth. Charles S. TOwne, Robert J.
Lowe and Senator McLaurin.
The club is chartered under the laws
of Tennessee and has acquired large
tracts of land on Walden's ridge. con-
tiguous to the Tennessee river and in
the vicinity of famous Signal point.
The site for the clubhouse is on a
high plateau overlooking thirty miles
of beautiful country. The extensive
plans contemplate the erection of an
;,,tO -
fisheries, game preserves, golf links.
polo grounds and trotting track and
the building of an electric railway from
the level of the Tennessee river to the
clubhouse doors.
Engineers are now at work laying
out within the club grounds an auto
mobile boulevard that will be thirty
two miles long and eighty feet wide.
BY reason of the vast tract owned by
the club and the tableland forma ton
the curves of the boulevard will be so
few and so gradual as to be hardly
curves at all
Another plan is to make the club
members profit by certain locks and
dams now being built across the Ten
nessee river. The clubhouse site has
been fixed at point that will overlook
what will be IL three mile lake when
the locks and dams are complete By
means of the lake it will be possible
for members TO go from New York and
other places clear to the club float in
yachts.
House Alone to Cost Millions.
The initial outlay for improvements
will run into the millions. The club
house alone will cost $1,000,O00 and the
automobile course 100000.
The club will be inaugurated on June
81 at a banquet on the club property.
Men of prominence will be present.
There is to be nothing exclusive about
the Interstate club. Founded with the
| idea that it should be noRpartisan and
nonsectional, it will seek to attract
men from the country over. The ex-
penses of membership will be small,
$50 initiation fee and about the same
amount yearly dues.
With membership of from 100000
to 100000 it is expected the club will
have no difficulty In the way of tinanc-
ing itself All money received as initia-
ton and dues will go TO defray club
expenses and to the reduction of such
debt as the organization may assume
at Its beginning.
| Although the club Is nonpartisan and
nonpolitical, its projectors believe 1t
| will WELD large influence in national
and industrial affairs through its OPP
portunities of informal discussion. Men
| of prominence and influence can meet
/ there, talk there and obtain the opin-
ions of others there without fear of
committing themselves to anything and
without fear of what they may say
being considered official.
Work on the clubhouse will probably
be commenced next summer. When fin
ished, it will on account of its south.
erly position be convenient all year
round resort for it's members.