[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE CITY OF KILLEEN ON ITS 125TH BIRTHDAY

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                          HON. JOHN R. CARTER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2007

  Mr. CARTER. Madam Speaker, the City of Killeen, Texas celebrates its 
125th birthday, today, May 15th, 2007. The City of Killeen was born May 
15, 1882, when the Santa Fe Railroad extended its line westward. Named 
for Frank P. Killeen, an official of the railroad in Galveston, some 
believe that Killeen may have been among the railroad dignitaries on 
the train that arrived to mark the beginning of the town, but it has 
never been confirmed. The town of about 300 people became a shipping 
point of the area for agricultural products, cotton in particular.
  In the next 60 years, the city prospered and grew to over 1,200 
people. But in 1942, this small railroad town became home to military 
post Camp Hood. The military camp's impact was tremendous more than 
quintupling Killeen's population in its first few years.
  After World War II, the Army was looking for a place to train 
soldiers in tank destroyer tactics, and Killeen fit the bill. Camp Hood 
was named for Confederate General John Bell Hood. The initial 
installation covered 160,000 acres; most of Killeen's best farming 
land, forcing many families from their homesteads. In 1950, the camp 
was declared a permanent post changing its name to Fort Hood.
  Killeen was now a military town, so its goal became to make it the 
best town for military families to live. Supporting our soldiers and 
their families is still the top priority today.
  The town and the fort grew together. Killeen worked to develop 
infrastructure that would incorporate the military base and its needs. 
Immediate needs were water leading to the construction of Belton Lake 
and later, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir; the construction of better 
highways to meet military and civilian travel needs; major construction 
to provide housing; and an accompanying growth in retail business.
  This small agriculture turned railroad turned military town now has a 
population of over 100,000 people and is bustling with commerce. 
Killeen has a young, diverse populous served by good schools and 
affordable housing and will continue to thrive in its next 125 years.

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