[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S5223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEKIN, NORTH DAKOTA

 Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a community 
in North Dakota that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. On June 22, 
2006, the residents of Pekin will celebrate their community's history 
and founding.
  Pekin is a community of 80 people located in northeastern North 
Dakota. Nestled between the winding Sheyenne River and beautiful Stump 
Lake, the Pekin area offers recreational opportunities and scenic 
vistas. This charming location is the setting for Pekin Days, an annual 
citywide celebration that features the Nelson County Art Show. Known as 
the Littlest Town with the Biggest Art Show in North Dakota, Pekin also 
boasts the largest annual juried art show and sale in the State of 
North Dakota.
  The area was homesteaded as early as 1881 but not established until 
1906 when the Great Northern Railroad brought railroad workers and 
their families. The community was named by settlers from Pekin, IL, a 
town itself named due to the belief that it was located on the opposite 
side of the globe from Peking, China.
  Mr. President, I ask the Senate to join me in congratulating Pekin, 
ND, and its residents on their first 100 years. By honoring Pekin and 
all of the other historic small towns of North Dakota, we keep the 
pioneering frontier spirit alive for future generations. It is places 
such as Pekin that have helped to shape this country into what it is 
today, which is why Pekin is worthy of our recognition.

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