[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 122 (Friday, October 1, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1769]]
    HONORING THE LAND DONATION OF THE CAMPBELL AND WILLS FAMILY TO 
                   MEMORIALIZE SARAH PEARSON CAMPBELL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 30, 2004

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the friends 
and family of Sarah Pearson Campbell, who recently donated fifty acres 
of land to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
  With this being the last week of September and there being only five 
weeks before a very influential election that includes a race for the 
second congressional district of Idaho, as well as a presidential race, 
I often find myself with too few hours in my day to accomplish 
everything that I want to do. But when I was recently made aware of a 
land donation that had been given to the Sawtooth National Recreation 
Area, I felt obligated to say thank you to the families that made the 
donation possible.
  Doug and Mary Campbell, along with the families of Wes, Bob and Hank 
Wills recently donated a 50 acre parcel of land in the heart of the 
Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The land is located within the heart 
of Boulder City--a present day ghost town that was once a promising 
mining town in the heart of Idaho's Boulder Mountain range.
  Historic Boulder City is located north of Ketchum, a rugged and steep 
six-mile track from Highway 75 up Boulder Creek to the Basin. The city 
was the second town established in the Wood River Valley and was once 
home to a store, hotel, post office, corral, saloon, cabins, an ore 
processing mill and various mines. The land donated contains the 
remains of the mill, four cabins and other mining structures.
  The gift was given to pay tribute and honor the Campbell's daughter 
Sarah Pearson Campbell, who was killed in an avalanche in December 2000 
while back country skiing in Teton County, Wyoming. ``By donating this 
historic site, we will be honoring Sarah's commitment to protecting the 
beauty and integrity of the area,'' said Doug and Mary Campbell. ``This 
parcel of land is symbolic of Sarah's work and experiences in, and love 
for, the mountains here in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.''
  Words such as these make me proud to be both an Idahoan and American. 
I have the utmost respect and gratitude for these families, who are 
willing to carry on the legacy of their daughter and friend through a 
donation they know would have made her very proud. Although Sarah is no 
longer able to share in the scenic beauty of the SNRA, her friends and 
family wanted to make sure others would be able to experience the same 
beauty that Sarah came to know and love.
  I obviously cannot begin to put into words the sentimental meaning 
and significance this gift has for the families involved; that is 
something one would have to ask Sarah's family and friends about. But I 
can tell you this is only the third land donation to the SNRA since its 
establishment in 1972, and is critical in helping the US Forest Service 
preserve an area rich in beauty and history.
  I would like to extend a personal thank you to all of those involved 
with this unselfish and generous gift to the SNRA. Although I never had 
the opportunity to meet Sarah, I can only imagine she shared the same 
ideals and principals that her family and friends displayed when 
donating this substantial piece of land.

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