[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 44 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 44


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 27, 2003

        Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
To express support for the celebration in 2004 of the 150th anniversary 
                    of the Grand Excursion of 1854.

Whereas reaching the shores of the Mississippi River represented a major 
        milestone for the westward expansion of the system of railroad 
        infrastructure that began on the East Coast in the 1830s;
Whereas in 1854 the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad became the first railroad 
        to reach the Mississippi River and that achievement was celebrated with 
        a combined railroad


and riverboat trip known as the ``Grand Excursion of 1854'';

Whereas the Grand Excursion of 1854 began in Chicago with a gathering of more 
        than 1,000 dignitaries from professions encompassing the fields of 
        government, education, business, journalism, and the arts, and included 
        most prominently former United States President Millard Fillmore;
Whereas the excursion party of 1854 traveled from Chicago, Illinois, to Rock 
        Island, Illinois, by train and then proceeded by boat from Rock Island 
        to the present-day twin cities of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and St. Paul, 
        Minnesota;
Whereas the Grand Excursion of 1854 is credited both with bringing the upper 
        Mississippi Valley into the national spotlight and with solidifying 
        Chicago's role as a major transportation hub;
Whereas communities located on the 419 mile stretch between Rock Island and 
        Minneapolis are investing more than $5,000,000,000 in recreational, 
        commercial, and environmental improvements to prepare for the 
        celebration of the Grand Excursion in 2004;
Whereas an educational program in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota will 
        bring the history of the Mississippi River to life for thousands of 
        students from kindergarten through 12th grade and will focus on the 
        recreational, environmental, and commercial importance of the river;
Whereas the Grand Excursion celebration of 2004 will establish a series of 
        permanent exhibits throughout the upper Mississippi River, recognizing 
        the achievements of the many communities and celebrating the history of 
        the Mississippi River;
Whereas the Grand Excursion, through its local, regional, national, and 
        international marketing programs and initiatives, will communicate to 
        the world the incredible attributes of the upper Mississippi River, and 
        will invite hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region to 
        celebrate;
Whereas the National Park Service, along with other Federal, State, and local 
        agencies and many other interested groups, is preparing activities to 
        celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Grand Excursion in 2004, to 
        educate local residents and visitors about the attributes of the river, 
        and to commemorate the occasion by establishing future traditions that 
        will improve community connections to the river; and
Whereas Grand Excursion, Inc. is organizing and coordinating the celebration in 
        2004 of the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) expresses its support for the work of all the Federal, 
        State, and local entities, and the work of all interested 
        groups that are preparing sesquicentennial activities to 
        celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854;
            (2) expresses its support for the events to be held in 
        observance of the Grand Excursion of 1854 in Chicago, Rock 
        Island, Moline, and Galena, Illinois, in Davenport, Clinton, 
        and Dubuque, Iowa, in Prairie du Chien and La Crosse, 
        Wisconsin, in Wabasha, Winona, Red Wing, Saint Paul, and 
        Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in many other communities during 
        the sesquicentennial observance; and
            (3) calls on the President of the United States, the 
        Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Interior, the 
        Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Secretary of the Army, the 
        Director of the National Park Service, the Director of the 
        United States Fish and Wildlife Service, other public 
        officials, and the citizens of the United States to support, 
        promote, and participate in the many sesquicentennial 
        activities being planned to commemorate the Grand Excursion of 
        1854.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 26, 2003.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.