[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 10, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PAWNEE SESQUICENTENNIAL RECOGNITION

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                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 10, 2004

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to the 
Village of Pawnee, Illinois, as they celebrate their sesquicentennial. 
Established in 1854, the people of Pawnee have prospered while giving 
so much to this great nation.
  In the middle of the 19th century, the Village of Pawnee started as a 
settlement at the bottom of a hill next to a creek in central Illinois. 
In the past, the small town boasted its own coalmine and railroad. 
Pawnee's earliest inhabitants were farmers, coalminers, common folk, 
and businessmen. Today, because of its outstanding school system, 
churches, and low crime rate, the town has blossomed into a village of 
2,800 residents.
  I am proud to represent the great people of the Village of Pawnee and 
to share in this special occasion with them. I thank them for all they 
give to this great nation and I wish them many successes in the years 
to come. Congratulations!
  For those today who don't know enough about Pawnee, Illinois I have 
included this brief history of the town by Skip Minder:
  ``Justus Henkle and his family were the first Pawnee area settlers, 
arriving in the middle of March, 1818. They were followed by other 
early settlers, many of who settled at the bottom of a hill next to a 
creek, thus assuring a water supply.
  The small settlement became known as the Horse Creek Settlement. In 
1854, it petitioned the U.S. Post Office Department for a post office. 
The Post Office Department did not like the Horse Creek Settlement name 
and arbitrarily changed it to Pawnee, and so it has been from that time 
forward.
  The Village of Pawnee was incorporated on November 9, 1891, and was 
and is still governed by a Village President and six Village Trustees.
  In its early days the town boasted its own coalmine, the Horse Creek 
Coal Company, which later became the Peabody Coal Company Mine #5, and 
its own railroad known as the Pawnee Railroad. That railroad was the 
forerunner of the current Chicago and Illinois Midland Railroad (C&IM).

  One of Pawnee's inhabitants was a man named Edward A. Baxter (1847-
1934). At age 14, he enlisted in Indiana as a Union soldier during the 
Civil War along with six of his brothers. They became known as the 
``seven fighting Baxter brothers''. All survived the war.
  In 1865, young soldier, Ed Baxter, stood in the honor guard at the 
head of Abraham Lincoln's casket during funeral services for Lincoln in 
Indianapolis, Indiana. Lincoln's body was then transported to 
Springfield, Illinois for burial. Later, Baxter came to Pawnee in the 
summer of 1870 and remained until his death in 1934.
  Another prominent citizen was Harry Howland Mason (1873-1946). He was 
the publisher of the Pawnee Herald newspaper until he was elected to 
the U.S. Congress in 1934 as Representative for the 21st Congressional 
District.
  Pawnee's earliest inhabitants were farmers, and later farmers and 
coal miners, common folk, and businessmen. Today it has blossomed into 
a village of 2,800 residents. Rather than growth in its business and 
agricultural areas, growth is attributed to its outstanding school 
system, churches, and low crime rate. Many residents choose to reside 
in Pawnee and commute to their employment in other communities.
  In June of this year it will celebrate its sesquicentennial, 150 
years of being. It looks forward to at least 150 more years!''

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