fast vanishing wild life of West Virginia, but, on the contrary, with the primary intention of demonstrating the possibilities of propagating and increasing all species of song and insectivorous birds, game birds, animals and fish, and assisting in protecting the forests from fire, and thus restoring the attractive wild life and the picturesque forests of West Virginia to their original beauty and grandeur." In their advertising pamphlet issued soon after its creation, the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association explained that “a great majority of the members of this association are not sportsmen from the standpoint of killing game, but are sportsmen from the standpoint of helping to perpetuate some of the wild life of West Virginia for future generations.” As this statement and the association's name suggests, an emphasis of the club was to unite sportsmen. Elk from Yellowstone On January 9 and February 6, 1913, carloads of elk from Yellowstone National Park were transported to the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association in Minnehaha Springs. A total of 67 elk were safely housed in Minnehaha Springs. The elk were confined in an enclosure until they were acclimated to their surroundings, at which time they were released on the property of the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association. West Virginia's State Warden J. A. Viquesnay, one of the founders of the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association, organized the transfer. In fact, these elk from Yellowstone were not the first elk the Sportsmen's Association transported to their grounds. Prior to the federal transfer, 15 elk, 14 females and 1 male, had been shipped to Minnehaha Springs from Iowa, in order to analyze their adaptation to the environment. When it appeared they were thriving and produced eight calves, the Association was deemed fit to receive the Yellowstone elk. By 1932, the elk transported from Yellowstone had disappeared. The Club House The Allegheny Sportsmen's Association built a luxurious club house in 1913, and it opened on July 1, 1914 to accommodate the association's members and their families. The club house was four stories, fifty by sixty feet, and was equipped with modern conveniences. It contained a kitchen, dining room, and pool rooms in the basement along with two wood-burning fireplaces. The first floor housed a large club room with four wood-burning fireplaces to keep the room warm. The second and third floors were divided into bedrooms and described as being “nicely finished and furnished.” On the fourth floor was a large room used