[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE CITY OF MIDDLETON, WI ON ITS SESQUICENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 3, 2006

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
sesquicentennial of the city of Middleton, WI.
  While first inhabited by Native Americans, then home to French fur 
traders and, later, English and German settlers, the area we now call 
Middleton marks its official birth with the arrival of the railroad 
there in 1856.
  The history of this vibrant community is well-documented. We know of 
the fur-trading post opened in 1832 by the area's first carpenter, 
Michael St. Cyr. Records tell us of Orson Cook, the first permanent 
settler in the East Middleton area in 1841. The name, Middleton, we are 
told, was chosen by the first postmaster, Harry Barnes, after a town in 
Vermont.
  The settlements of Pheasant Branch, East Middleton, Middleton Station 
and others coalesced when the train depot became a hub around which 
local businesses prospered.
  One hundred fifty years after the first trains arrived, Middleton's 
downtown is thriving. New businesses are rising in the footprints of 
the old. The people of this 21st century community are still guided by 
the ``good neighbor'' practices of those who came before.
  The current residents of Middleton treasure historic structures of 
the past: the Old Stamm House, once a station on the ``underground 
railroad''; the Blacksmith Shop on Branch Street; Arneson's Cafe on 
Parmenter Street where folks could collect mail on one side and buy 
stationery and sweets on the other, to name just a few.
  But they are also looking to the future, supporting a superb public 
library, a dynamic senior center, a community pool, and a performing 
arts center. Though barely miles from the State capital, the people of 
Middleton cede no civic pride or responsibility. Volunteers sustain and 
support emergency services and community functions.
  On its sesquicentennial, I salute the city of Middleton and its 
people and wish them many more years of prosperity.

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