[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 86 (Friday, June 24, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF CLINTON, IOWA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM NUSSLE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 24, 2005

  Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the sesquicentennial 
celebration of Clinton, Iowa--a community I am very proud to represent 
in Congress.
  One hundred and fifty summers ago, the Iowa Land Company purchased 
the site of the town and named it in honor of DeWitt Clinton, a former 
New York governor.
  A number of energetic entrepreneurs worked hard to help fuel 
Clinton's early growth. They rooted the city along the banks of the 
beautiful Mississippi River; and when a railroad bridge crossing the 
river was completed a few years after the town was established, the 
lumber industry boomed.
  Logs were floated down the river from Minnesota and Wisconsin to 
Clinton's sawmills and distributed along the river to other flourishing 
communities. Clinton was known as the sawmill capital of the country 
from the late 1850s to around 1900.
  The huge log flotillas on the river of Clinton's early days must have 
been an impressive sight. If you visit Clinton's Eagle Point Park today 
in the same area, you might see families enjoying a picnic or barges 
carrying Iowa's bounty down the mighty Mississippi.
  Today, Clinton remains full of industrious people determined to make 
the most of their community's strengths. Clinton's leaders are looking 
forward to creating even more opportunities for local workers. And 
every time I meet with a group of Clinton residents, I am always 
impressed with their incredible enthusiasm and pride in their 
community.
  In another 150 years from now, I am sure Clinton will still be home 
to the same brand of wonderful people, living in a vibrant, active city 
by the river.
  Happy birthday, Clinton!

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