[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      MARKING THE 100 YEAR CELEBRATION OF THE CITY OF FIRTH, IDAHO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2005

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with the townspeople 
of Firth, Idaho, in celebrating the city's 100th anniversary. This 
important milestone has been reached through the hard work and tenacity 
of the early settlers as well as the foresight and spirit of today's 
citizens.
  The town of Firth officially came into existence in 1905 when Lorenzo 
Firth and his wife gave a plot of land for the town site and an acre 
for a one-room school house. The 4-room brick building which replaced 
that first school still stands on the original site, and the city has 
grown and prospered through the years. Some of the businesses which 
flourished in the early years of Firth included: a bank, barbershops, 
drug store, butcher shops and grocery stores, a lumberyard, harness 
shop, blacksmith shop, hardware store, theatre, grain mill, and potato 
warehouses. The original Firth Mill and Elevator continues to do 
business today. Collet's Bar and Grill is proud to have served the 
residents of Firth for over 75 years. Anthony's Auto and the Stop and 
Shop Grocery are early businesses still serving customers in the city.
  The community's economy has its base in agriculture. Grain, hay, 
potatoes, and cattle were raised on the farms around Firth. Early civic 
organizations in Firth were the Riverview Grange, the Lions club, and 
the Firth Homemakers club. Three religious groups were significant in 
the success of the City of Firth: the Swedish Baptist Church; the 
Lutheran Church (which held its early services in the Swedish 
language); and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  Community leaders who have been committed to the success of the City 
of Firth include Rudolph E. ``Bud'' Rogers who served as mayor for 16 
years and Sam Collet, a city councilman for almost 29 years. Credit 
goes to these civic minded individuals and others like them who were 
dedicated to making the City of Firth a great place to live, work, 
raise families, and educate children.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate everyone who has been 
involved in the ``100 year celebration of the City of Firth''. I know 
many of the citizens of Firth and have enjoyed their friendship over 
the years. I wish Mayor Kress, the City of Firth, and all its citizens 
well as they continue toward their second hundred years.

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