The Board of Directors of this Association have sent to you under
separate cover an invitation to attend our celebration
of the 333 Anniversary of the occupation of the oldest city in the
United States—viz
Santa Fé—by Europeans and we trust that our carnival
may be honored by your presence—Since sending you that invitation it has been
suggested to me by leading citizens that such an occasion
as this might be fitly commemorated in verse, and that a poem from the pen of
Walt Whitman would preserve our History brighter and more
famous in the minds of future ages than any other effort
loc_tb.00240.jpg
that could be made by genius on our behalf—Will you take time by the forelock
and even at this short notice write such a poem3 as can be delivered publicly
by yourself or some orator equal to the occasion—We have
in our Programme three Historical days, the 18th
19th & 20th
July upon which every effort will be concentrated upon making these days as
attractive and as important an event in our National & local
History as as possible.
This is my excuse for profering this request and I entertain the hope that you will graciously acceed to it—
I have the honor to be your obe't servant Arthur Boyle [illegible]Correspondent:
Born in England, Arthur Boyle (1840–1910) was a capitalist and agent for investors in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He was a talented horticulturalist, as well as the husband of Blanche Blackmore, whose family owned property in the American
West. Boyle was a member of the group that planned and promoted the Tertio-Millennial
Exposition that took place in Santa Fe in July 1883.