Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-08-17
OUR FAMOUS BAND
VISITS CANADA
Luther College Concert Band Gets a
Royal Reception in Canada.
People Delighted With II.
WEEK SPENT IN
CANADIAN CITIES
Band Will Arrive Home in Decorah
Tuesday Afternoon, Aug. %,
At Three O'clock.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


August II, 1921.
Decorah's famous band from Lu-
ther College has spent almost a
week in Canada. 1t left Vancouver,
B. C. for Lake Louise, Alberta, on
the 9Th of August, and climbed
mountains all day long. Sometimes
the roadbed lay along the edge of
steep precipices, then would follow
a dash through tunnel, and the
train would emerge in a valley. OF
especial interest were the corkscrew,
or spiral tunnels near Field. The
train enters a mountain and turns
almost a complete circle, emerging
nearly a hundred feet higher up.
There are two of these tunnels. The
purpose of the tunnel is to lessen
the grade. Where formerly on the
open track it took four locomotives
to pull 700 ton, two locomotives will
now pull 900 ton. Lake Louise is
one of the beauty spots of the world,
in fact it has been described by an
eminent traveller as "the most per-
feet bit of scenery in the world.
The lake lies at an elevation of
5,670 feet; it is surrounded by noun
tain peaks and fed by several glaci-
ers. Its water is a rare blue color
and perfectly clear. From Lake
Louise it is an easy climb of about
one hour to the Lakes in the Clouds,
Lake Mirror and Lake Agnes, $3.50
and 6,875 feet above sea level res
pectively. Within easy climbing dis
tance is also Victoria Glacier, aid
many of the boys reached the top.
1t was a difficult, but an extremely
interesting climb, and when they
were rewarded with the magnificent
view from the top of the glacier,
not one in the party regretted their
exertions.
The next day, August Sth, was
spent at Banff, Alberta, one of the
most popular mountain resorts in the
world. Here are the famous ~hot
sulphur springs, bubbling up out Of
an extinct geyser, and the baths of
the Canadian government. Here are
herds of buffalo, antelope, and
mountain sheep, and here the bears,
both brown and grizzly, come down
from their haunts in the mountains,
and feed in the back yards of the
cottages. Banff is also an important
station for the Royal Northwest
Mounted Police. 1t was not the
intention that the band should play
a concert there, but upon the urgent
request of a group Of the citizens,
the management agreed. The Com
mandant at the headquarters of the
Mounted Police offered the use of
the grounds around the barracks,
and at $50 the concert opened. An
audience of about 1000 people had
assembled, many of them guests at
the C. P. r. Hotel, and people who
had heard the best musical organiza-
tions in the world. Such enthusias-
tic and wholehearted applause as
characterized this concert has seldom
been exceeded. 1t can best be des-
cribed as a triumph. The clapping
was intermingled with cries of
emore, more. Several of the guests
at the hotel, said they had never
heard better band music, even from
the great professional bands. A
collection was taken up, which netted
the management a neat little sum.
The next morning the commercial
club of Banff, an organization which
Las done a great deal for the little
city, appeared at the station with
automobiles, and took the boys out
for a ride around the city and out
into the mountains, ride which
usually costs tourists from three to
five dollars person. The ride in
part covered the trail to Sundance
CANYON, made famous by Ralph Con-
nor in his novel "The Patrol OF the
Sundance Trail
After giving concerts In Detrolt,
Minneapolis, Rushford, and Grand
Meadow, Mimi, and in Mason Clty
and Usage, Iowa, the band will arrive
-, Decorah at 300 o'clock p. M.
on the 23d of August. Efforts are
being made to arrange concert
also in the home town.