[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             CONGRATULATING FRENCHTOWN HISTORIC FOUNDATION

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                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2010

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
and commend the Frenchtown Historic foundation for their steadfast 
commitment to completing the Frenchtown Historic Site designation.
  Just West of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site and among the 
rolling hills of wheat outside of Walla Walla, the 27 acre site set to 
open on December 11, 2010 will preserve an important part of our 
Northwest History. The Frenchtown Historic Site commemorates an area 
with rich historical heritage dating back to the famous expedition of 
Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s.
  Frenchtown was originally established by French-Canadians associated 
with the Hudson's Bay Company trading post at Fort Nez Perce along the 
Columbia River. My family first settled on a plot of land near Walla 
Walla and the Frenchtown Historic Site in 1853, shortly before the 
Yakima War broke out tearing the farmers, natives, loggers, and 
pioneers apart and away from their homes. This designation coincides 
with the 155th Anniversary of the Battle of Walla Walla--the longest 
sustained battle in Northwest history. Twenty three years later, in 
1876, the St. Rose of Lima Mission Church and cemetery were established 
that still exist to this day.
  The Frenchtown Historical Site designation culminates over five years 
of cooperative coordinated efforts by numerous local, state, and 
federal parties all orchestrated by the Frenchtown Historic Foundation, 
with special efforts made by Daniel Clark, Sam Pambrun, and Karen 
Bergevin Zohner.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the Frenchtown Historic Foundation for its job well 
done.

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