The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-30

1
of this, for we recognize that Du
luth, st. Paul and Minneapolis car
well claim to be a gateway tc
many Fairgrounds" in the state
but the Ely Commercial club still
retains the only undisputable
ground to the threshold" of the
most fascinating land and lake re-
gion in the United States, pro-
nounced by the government recrea-
tional experts to be second only to
the Yellowstone National Park
and, remember, the headquarters
of this region are at Ely.
How to Encourage Tourists.
There are many ways to encour-
age tourists to come to st. Louis
county and Northern Minnesota in
general. First is judicious and
honest advertising. The Duluth
Commercial club b, the Duluth &
Iron Range Railroad company, the
Ely Commercial club and several
progressive clubs of the Mesaba
range have of late seen the i'm
portance of this and have rendered
valuable service, which should be
kept up. Next to the advertising
is the erection of proper facilities
to take care of these tourists when
they come. In his respect St.
Louis county is very far behind.
True, there are several nice resorts
on the Vermiion lake at Tower,
Mimi, and some on the chain of
lakes at Ely, Mimi, but the ex-
perience of the last season ha2
clearly shown that none of these
resorts have ample facilities TO ac-
commodate t he ever-increasing
number of tourists. The fact is
that we must prepare more accom-
modations. T he local capital is
rather limited and we must try to
interest outside capital. The in
vestment is safe and profitable, if
only put before the fnanciers of
the country in the proper light and
backed by civic organizations. In
our advertising about the summer
resort possibilities, in addition to
fishing, hunting, canoeing, bathing
and general outdoor recreation,
particular reference should be made
to the climate and the length of the
season. Unfortunately there are
many of our own citizens who yet
believe that our season is of only
two or three months duration.
Nothing is farther from the truth,
however. We are getting four
distinct classes of tourists into
our territory, and between the four
classes we can make a six months
season of our resorts. The real
fisherman will come as early as
the season opens, which is May Is
and which ought to start our re-
sorts going, and there are many of
them. Next comes the regular va
cationist who usually appears about
June Is; this class includes numer-
Gus canoeists. Their season lasts
until Sept. Is, although many come
earlier and later. Then comes the
season for hay fever sufferers,
which starts about July Is and
ends when the freezing comes in
the fall. And, by the way, let US
not forget that our climate is par
ticularly beneficial for the hay
feverites. This has been proven
by this class of tourists from all
parts of the United States. This
class alone will lengthen the season
of our resorts when this feature
of our climate is brought before
them. And last come the hunters,
who stay until the big game hunt
ing season closes, Nov. 20.
Study Individual Needs.
But in order to attract all these
four classes, particular study of
their individual needs must be
made. For instance, to give the
fisherman real good time, we
must propagate and protect all
varieties of fish. The same holds
good for the hunters; all varieties
L h general vacationist must be
treated fairly and his accommoda-
ton should be comfortable n d
reasonable. But no class of tour
list needs better cultivation than the
hay feverites. 1t is, or should be,
common. knowledge among our
people just what causes hay fever
and every effort should be made
to eliminate the cause. There are
many wild weeds that cause hay
fever, many of which are gradually
being introduced into st. Louis
county and which ought to be
fought with all the energy possible.
Among the most noxious weeds
are thistles of all varieties, wild
mustard, toad flax, wild oats
french weed, rag weed, cookie our,
burdock, oxeye daisy, snap dragon,
yellow dock, quackgrass, kinghead
and golden rod. These weeds will
not only drive away our hay fever
tourists, but are great damage to
our farmers. The last legislature
has wisely passed a law creating a
state weed inspector, who, in turn,
IS to appoint county weed INSPECT
ors. The law provides that ali in
dlv1duals, corportions and munich
palities shall see that the law is
carried out. Very little has been
done the first year. It therefore
behooves all authorities that atten-
ton is called to the Importance of
this law and that it is enforced.
Farmers and county authorities
should take active steps in the
elimination of these weeds. Civ
and rural school children can be
brought to good assistance. A
copy Of this law should be in the
hands of every farmer, teacher.
county and municipal officer. and
the state inspector should really
inspect.
What the County Club Is Doing.
From the rec ords of the
St. Louis County club in the past
few years and from the enthusiasm
shown at the last annual meeting
at Duluth, it will be seen that the
club Is real live body and doing
much good for the whole county,
Its good work is only hampered bv
lack of finances, which certainlv
should not be in a wealthy com.
monwealth like st. Louis county
Inc county commissioners 80.