[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO MARTIN COUNTY AND FAIRMONT, MINNESOTA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TIMOTHY J. WALZ

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2007

  Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that 
I congratulate Martin County, MN on two milestones it is celebrating 
this weekend: the sesquicentennial celebration of Martin County and the 
city of Fairmont, Minnesota, and the centennial celebration of the 
Martin County Courthouse.
  Martin County was founded 150 years ago, on May 23, 1857. The county 
was named after Henry Martin of Wallingford, Connecticut, who was a 
resident of Mankato at the time.
  The first permanent residents of what is now Fairmont, Minnesota were 
two men named E. Banks Hall and William H. Budd. In June of 1857, they 
built their homes beside two lakes that today are named--appropriately 
enough--Budd Lake and Hall Lake.
  The town's original name was Fair Mount, which was later changed to 
Fairmont. Fifty years after the founding of Martin County, the County 
Courthouse was commissioned.
  Construction on the Martin County Courthouse was completed on 
November 1, 1907: The building is built from Michigan sandstone and 
Indiana limestone and is topped by a dome that stands 108 feet above 
the ground.
  The total cost of constructing the Courthouse--including furniture, 
plumbing and decorations--was just under $125,000.
  Today, this Courthouse is the jewel of the city of Fairmont, where it 
sits overlooking Lake Sisseton.
  Throughout its 100-year history, the Martin County Courthouse has 
made many changes, but it has not lost its original beauty.
  I am pleased to join the State of Minnesota in congratulating Martin 
County and Fairmont, Minnesota on this important milestone. And I wish 
them continued growth and success for the next 150 years.

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