[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 104 (Tuesday, September 7, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8850-S8851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE CITY OF AVON

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I honor and publicly recognize the 
125th anniversary of the founding of the city of Avon, SD. The city of 
Avon looks back on a proud history and looks forward to a promising 
future.

[[Page S8851]]

  Taking its name from a post office run out of the nearby home of Mr. 
and Mrs. George Phoenix, the city of Avon grew out of the 1879 
expansion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. Prosperous 
agriculture in the western part of Bon Homme County led farmers and 
ranchers to seek expanded markets for their goods. Railroad officials, 
in turn, recognized the value of building a branch line from Napa to 
Platte to serve this need, and some 500 workers began the arduous task 
of laying the new line through the area. The start of work was closely 
followed by the opening of a saloon by Joe Sterba that would find its 
home in Avon's first permanent commercial building by 1900. Other 
businesses quickly joined the saloon, and Avon was soon a thriving 
community serving the agricultural region that surrounded it.
  For most of its 125 years, the city of Avon has been served by the 
weekly newspaper, the Avon Clarion, which began publication in the 
winter of 1901. In an article that year, the paper boasted that Avon 
had, ``without exception, the brightest and most encouraging future of 
any town along this line.'' In the 125 years since its founding, Avon 
has proven its ability to thrive and serve farmers and ranchers in the 
region. Currently, more than 550 people live in the city of Avon. It is 
with great honor that I advise my colleagues of the achievements made 
by this great community.

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