[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE 150TH BIRTHDAY OF WRIGHT COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARK R. KENNEDY

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2005

  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
150th birthday of Wright County, located in East Central Minnesota. 
Bordered on the north by the Mississippi River and the east by the Crow 
River, Wright County was founded on February 20, 1855, 3 years before 
Minnesota became the 32nd state. The Big Woods, as Wright County was 
called then, was inhabited by 504 pioneers from across Europe, as well 
as Native Americans from the Dakota and Winnebago Nations.
  Wright County was a part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The 
Homestead Act of 1862 accelerated settlement of the area, and people 
arrived from across America and Europe. When the pioneers arrived in 
Wright County, they found the ``Big Woods'' moniker to be an apt 
description of the territory--a place covered with elm, basswood, sugar 
maple, ash and red oak. The county grew steadily, but travel was 
difficult because people could only clear a few acres of trees a year. 
The construction of the railroad had the biggest impact on the county, 
as farmers could get their goods to market faster and people could move 
with greater ease. Today, the county has a population of over 100,000 
and is one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Minnesota.
  Eventually, the Big Woods region came to be called Wright County in 
honor of Silas Wright, a former Congressman, Senator and Governor from 
New York State. Buffalo was established as the county seat in 1873. 
Most of Wright County's early residents were involved in agriculture, 
and appreciation for the county's vast natural resources carries on 
today. There are nearly 2800 acres of land devoted to the nearly 30 
county parks. Residents also make use of the 298 lakes within the 
borders of Wright County, swimming and boating in the summer and ice 
fishing in the winter.
  Mr. Speaker, as a proud resident of Wright County, I am pleased to 
honor a place so rich in Minnesota history and culture on the occasion 
of its 150th birthday.

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