Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-06-11
HERE and
THERE
by W. n. Smith

well as valuable assets of the Twin
Cities and the Northwest, is the
Travellers Bureau located at the
junction of Hennepin avenue and
Washington in Minneapolis. 1t is
housed ii a modern 0He-st0Ty stone
building owned by the Minneapolis
Park Board. 1t is financed by the
Minneapolis Civic and Commerce
Association.
Here day after day and month
after month, throughout the en-
tire year a force of expert Clerks
five in winter, three in summer,
give Information of utmost value
to the citizens of the Twin Cities
and to a veritable host of people,
who come from every state in the
Union, from every province of Can
ada, Mexico, and from twenty or
twenty-five foreign countries
throughout the world.
While most of the inquirers seek
information concerning the Won
derful 10000 lakes of Minnesota
and its unexcelled hunting and
fishing grounds, these by no means
exhaust the questions propounded
to those in charge.
The Twin Cities are the gateway
to the great Northwest with its
vast expanse of beautiful rolling
prairies, superb scenery, magnifi-
cent forests, awe inspiring noun
tain peaks and ranges; the Yellow
stone National Park, where the
original endowment of Americas
beauty of fauna and flora and ter
rain has been so marvelously pre-
served and protected.
All of these are the eager quest
of the more than half a million
travellers, who annually storm these
portals to the great Northwest
over the broad, well constructed
roads that intersect each mile of
its intriguing extent.
The Twin Cities themselves are
a continuing source of amazement
and wonder to the hundreds of
thousands of visitors. Their clean
cut appearance, modern buildings,
commodious hotels and cat e S,
amusement resorts, show houses
and the like; the modern facilities
of the many railroads leading to
the vast territory beyond; these,
and thousand other details of sig
nifcant Importance become the
source of inquiry that test the
knowledge of the Bureaus clerical
force. 1t seems never to sound the
depth of the available information,
nor disturb the serene courtesy
with which each applicant is sup
piled. He may be a home town
product, a stranger from afar in
a modest f1ivver; a traveller de luxe
in Rolls Royce, or just a plain
citizen who wants to be directed to
the famous falls of Minnehaha, the
ball park or some other place to be
reached by street car. In either
case he gets what he wants; gets
it quickly and accurately.
Have you ever, in a movie pic.
ture house, seen a map thrown
upon the screen with a pencil OF
light rapidly pointing the way tC
some desired location? You will
be reminded of it as any one of the
Bureaus clerks takes a pencil and
marks with almost equal speed AND
certainty on a map of the United
States, of Canada or Mexico, q
route from the Twin Cities to the
Golden Gate of California, the Gull
of Mexico, the cities in the St
Lawrence basin or any other place
to which the traveller would wish
to go.
Not the least surprising thought
is that the wide awake business
| men q this:cspnnunity provide thi:
! wide field 81: essential service free
Of cost to all and. sundry. The only
things selfa this. bureau are pic
ture post card views of the Twir
Cities-the beauty spots of the
Northwest and certain maps no
available for free distribution; alsc
fishing licenses. There are othel
travel bureaus throughout the lanC
but none so large as this tina
stands as the gateway to thu
Golden West"
The Travellers Bureau is a yer!
reliable index of the country
business health. During the de
pressive years from 80 to '35
reflected the general state of low
economics. Tn 1895 "a the countr,