[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1012-E1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            DEDICATION OF THE CONGRESSMAN IKE SKELTON BRIDGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 18, 2005

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that Highway 13 
Missouri River Bridge has been named for my good friend, and fellow 
Missourian, The Honorable Ike Skelton. The dedication ceremony took 
place on May 14, 2005, in Lexington, Missouri, Mr. Skelton's hometown. 
I know that all the Members of the House will join me in congratulating 
Mr. Skelton on this honor. Mr. Skelton's remarks at the event are set 
forth as follows:

       Thank you so much, Joe Aull, for your generous 
     introduction. Members of the Missouri General Assembly, Ray 
     and Lafayette County neighbors, and my fellow Missourians.
       Today, we dedicate an engineering feat--the magnificent new 
     bridge across the wide Missouri. What an opportunity to 
     kindle pride in our community and pride in our state. This is 
     truly a moment to remember.
       Anyone who lives around here or who travels along this 
     portion of Highway 13 can testify that for years people have 
     asked, ``when are we going to get a new bridge?'' More 
     recently the question has changed to, ``when is that new 
     bridge going to open?'' So believe me, I think it is 
     impossible to exaggerate what a very happy day this is for 
     those who have waited so long for this day to arrive.
       According to the Roman orator Cicero, the greatest of all 
     virtues is gratitude. And, I want to express my gratitude to 
     my neighbors, the members of the Highway 13 Missouri River 
     Bridge Dedication Steering Committee, the members of the 
     Missouri Department of Transportation, and the members of 
     Missouri's General Assembly for the naming of this bridge. 
     Most of all, I am grateful to my wife, Susie, for her 
     tireless support that allows me to carry out my public 
     service. I must add that I am pleased that so many of my high 
     school graduating class are with us today.
       I acknowledge this honor with a deep sense of humility. 
     Representing Missourians is such a privilege, as I have had a 
     love affair with the State of Missouri all my life. Suffice 
     it to say that I will endeavor, in the days and years ahead, 
     to merit this high honor.
       This day opens a notable chapter in the history of Ray and 
     Lafayette Counties, and in the history of our State. The 
     taxpayers generously paid for the bridge and the surrounding 
     roads, with the politicians and government officials setting 
     aside the money--almost $53 million in Federal and State 
     funds for the bridge itself. But the achievement lies in the 
     skill of the designers, engineers, and laborers whose work 
     translated our dream of a new bridge into reality, providing 
     us with a safe way to travel and taking us into the future, 
     across the wide Missouri.
       But because this is such a momentous day, it is appropriate 
     to look back and reflect on the previous chapters of our 
     history that led us to this place today. This is a bridge 
     over truly historic waters--the wide Missouri.
       The river is central to the history of those who have lived 
     in this region. The Indians who lived along its banks 
     inspired the river's name. The word ``Missouri'' is believed 
     to have derived from the Indian word for ``canoe'', and the 
     Missouri Tribe were known as the ``people of the wooden 
     canoe.''
       French trappers encountered the Missouri Indians in the 
     late 1600s in present day Saline County. Another native 
     group, the Little Osage, lived in this area during the 1700s. 
     Scholars say that both tribes used the river for 
     transportation and trade with the Europeans.
       In addition to the heritage of the Indians who made their 
     home along the river, the legacy of the French trappers 
     endures. The names the French gave to the tributaries that 
     flow into the Missouri River still adorn our maps: Tabeau 
     Creek, the Lamine River, Chouteau Creek, and the Moreau 
     River.
       After the fledgling United States of America purchased the 
     Louisiana territory, Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery 
     traveled these waters, following the river across the 
     continent. In fact, our new bridge is quite near the spot in 
     present-day Ray County where Lewis and Clark's party of 
     explorers made camp in June 1804.
       Fifteen years later in 1819, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
     expedition to explore the Missouri River and its tributaries 
     demonstrated the potential usefulness of the river for the 
     movement of goods, settlers, and troops. It also led to the 
     Corps' assignment to tame the river for navigation, removing 
     the treacherous snags that endangered boats and steamboats.
       The Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham immortalized the 
     jolly flatboatmen who plied the waters of this river as the 
     frontier opened in the early to mid-1800s. The flatboatmen 
     were known for their songs, their chanties, including the 
     beautiful and haunting American folk song, Shenandoah. The 
     now-familiar boatmen's song, which told of a trader who loved 
     the daughter of Indian Chief Shenandoah, made its way down 
     the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to the American clipper 
     ships, and thus around the world.
       In the years to come, steamboats made the river their home. 
     From about 1819 to 1881, steamboats paddled the river, taking 
     settlers west and carrying trade goods and merchandise. 
     Lexington became a major steamboat port, where manufactured 
     goods from St. Louis and other points east were unloaded, and 
     raw materials were loaded to travel down river.
       Local shores witnessed one of the darkest days of the 
     steamboat era when the steamboat Saluda called on the Port of 
     Lexington in 1852. Encountering problems with the river's 
     current and heavy running ice, the Saluda's boilers exploded 
     and more than 200 passengers and crew perished.
       During the War Between the States, steamboats carried 
     troops and acted as armed transports, patrolling the river 
     for Confederates attempting to cross the wide Missouri.
       In the days before a bridge crossed the wide Missouri here, 
     ferries enjoyed brisk business. The first ferry was 
     established in 1819 by Lexington's founder, Gilead Rupe. Both 
     the steamboat and the ferry operations lost customers as 
     railroads began to lay their tracks throughout the west, but 
     the ferry business held on, providing river crossing services 
     until the opening of the bridge in 1925.
       Attempts to bridge the river between Lafayette and Ray 
     Counties were made in 1889 and 1894, before what we now call 
     the ``old bridge'' was built across the wide Missouri.

[[Page E1013]]

     Construction began in 1922, and the bridge opened on November 
     25, 1925. Even today, we can relate to the excitement and the 
     anticipation of those citizens who were anxious to use the 
     bridge for the first time.
       As we dedicate the new bridge, we open a new chapter of our 
     history on the Missouri River. For almost 80 years, the old 
     bridge has served us faithfully. But after decades of 
     service, it didn't take an engineer to spot serious problems. 
     With portions of the old bridge floor falling through, and 
     the crumbling of the sides, and the rusting of the 
     superstructure, many have feared that our continued use of 
     the old bridge was an invitation to tragedy. The new bridge 
     comes none too soon.
       The safety factor is the most immediate benefit of the new 
     bridge for those who cross the wide Missouri at this point. 
     Countless drivers have suffered from white knuckles on the 
     steering wheel every time they crossed the old span.
       Safety comes first, but we cannot underestimate how 
     important modem and well-maintained roadways are for local 
     economic development. A bridge that meets modem standards 
     will enable companies and manufacturers to deliver and 
     receive the goods they need to conduct business. It will 
     allow farmers to safely transport agricultural goods. It will 
     allow residents and visitors alike to travel freely and 
     frequently.
       This bridge symbolizes progress and that essential quality 
     of American optimism: faith in the future; belief in ongoing 
     prosperity; and our continuing effort to improve our country 
     that has allowed America to prosper.
       For thousands of years, the river has been witness to 
     history. The new bridge will bear witness as those who cross 
     the wide Missouri follow this road and add new chapters to 
     the history of America.
       Today, we celebrate. This achievement is a milestone for 
     our state of Missouri. When you cross the bridge over the 
     Missouri River, look down, and in your mind's eye, imagine 
     the boatmen of the early 1800s as they pole their flatboats 
     down the river toward the Port of St. Louis. And, if you 
     listen intently, you will hear them singing that chanty of 
     the day--

     Shenandoah, I long to hear you,
     Away, you rolling river,
     Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you,
     Away, I'm bound away,
     'Cross the wide Missouri.

                          ____________________