The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-07-21
TOURISTS ASK
ABOUT ELY
Inquiries This Year Already
Exceed Last Years Total,
Says Ray Hoefler.

More inquiries by tourists had been
received in the Office of Ray Hoefler,
secretary of the Ely Commercial club,
up to last weekend, than were received
during all of the tourist season year
ago.
So far 1856 persons have written the
secretary's office for information per-
tanning to "The Playground of Ma
tion"-Ely and the adjacent territory.
Mr.. Hoefler expects that more than
thousand inquiries will be received
before the tourist season ends, to set an
all-time record. During the entire
season last year 765 communications
were received asking about canoe trips,
fishing, scenic trips, and the many
things that have made Ely famous
throughout the country as a mecca for
lovers of nature unmarked by the hand
of civilization.
Even though the cool weather pre-
valent, not only in Ely but throughout
the entire middlewest this spring, has
delayed vacation trips-but not letters
seeking information several resort
owners report that all Accommodations
are taken for the next several weeks.
People who come here once are
usually pretty well satisfied and are
anxious to return to the same resort,
according to Mr.. Hoefler. Often a
party of men will come for the express
purpose of making canoe trip, and
then return the following year with
members of their family for vaca-
ton at one of the resorts.
Inquiries concerning trailer camp &C
cancellations are showing marked in
crease this year. The city has such a
camp, wired with electricity, in the
tourist park, and the forest service
maintains several, but at these no cleo
tricity is available. Since the number
touring in house trailers has increased
remarkably during the past few years,
this portion of the tourist business may
be given increased emphasis. Trailer
tourists would be "in addition" to the
present number who spend their out
ings in resorts or cabins. Some of them
who have stayed here in the past have
patronized resorts as well as maintain
ing their homes on wheels.
During the past Is years an intense,
well-directed publicity campaign has
been maintained to attract tourists to
Ely. For Is years the local territory
has been represented at outdoor shows.
This campaign has shown good results
In 1929, boom year (when everybody
had plenty of money, remember) about
500 inquiries were received from 90
states. There were six resorts in oper-
alton at the time. Nine years later, at
the present time "a recession" year,
too, by the way) it is expected that
more than thousand inquiries will be
received from practically every state
east of the Rockies. There are 20 re-
sorts here now. How many more people
will spend their vacations here this year
over nine years ago is impossible, of
course, to estimate, but there is no ques-
ton that it will run into thousands.
Tourists sending communications ask
a variety of questions Many ask for
maps of the territory, about canoe
trips, resorts, camps, Accommodations on
certain lakes, etc. Nine years ago a
majority of the inquiries concerned
canoe trips but now they ask about
housekeeping cabins. One letter re-
ceived from the East, last March, asked
about Accommodations for II young men
who wanted to come here to train for
| football next fall. They intended to
stay month and wanted a well Sc
Guided spot.
Just how successful this years tourist
season will be cannot be predicted &C
curately at the present moment. The
Minnesota Arrowhead association has
maintained that it will surpass all
previous records, and the number of in
quiries received in Ely would indicate
that more people than ever before are
interested in spending their vacations
here.