[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5186-S5187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CAMPBELL COUNTY, WYOMING

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the Centennial 
of Campbell County, WY.
  The citizens of Campbell County are blessed to live in this beautiful 
environment. Located in northeastern Wyoming and nestled in the Powder 
River Basin, the county is bordered by the Black Hills and the Big Horn 
Mountains. Its 39,000 residents live in the communities of Gillette, 
Wright, Weston and Rozet. Land was taken from previously established 
Weston and Crook counties to create the new district. Officially 
recognized on May 23, 1911, the county was named after John A. 
Campbell, Wyoming's first territorial Governor.
  Campbell County as we know it today is vastly different from 100 
years ago, but it is this shared history between today's residents and 
those of the past that creates a special bond. It has been host to 
Native Americans, fur trappers, mountain men, homesteaders, ranchers 
and oil men. The basin area was first used by members of the Sioux, 
Crow and Arapaho Native American tribes. They used the wide plains and 
grasslands as hunting grounds, and evidence of their presence can still 
be found today. Fur trappers and mountain men also traveled in the 
county. One such frontiersman, Robert Campbell, was a successful trader 
and explorer of the Rocky Mountains. He travelled through the county on 
his way to the Wind River Mountains.
  The construction of the railroad had a major impact on the 
development of Campbell County. As the desire to move west increased, 
the residents of the county recognized the need to lay tracks of their 
own. Incorporated as a town in 1891, Gillette was originally developed 
as a transfer point for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It 
was named after Edward Gillette, who was in charge of an early survey 
for the railroad. The addition of the railroad, along with the emigrant 
trails in the area, was essential to the establishment of the county.
  Campbell County has since capitalized on these rich opportunities for 
growth and development. While ranching and agriculture are important 
industries, the extraction of coal, oil and natural gas is widely 
acknowledged as the principal industry within Campbell County. The 
residents proudly recognized their county as the Energy Capital of the 
Nation. The Powder River Basin is the largest supplier of coal in

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the United States, providing nearly 40 percent of the Nation's coal. 
Coal mining has had an important role in the development of the 
county's infrastructure. For instance, Wright was built in close 
proximity to the Black Thunder coal mine, the second most productive 
coal mine in the United States. Improved technology in extraction 
methods has increased the production of coal bed methane gas and oil. 
These advancements will continue to serve the nation's growing energy 
needs well into the future.
  This year, the Campbell County Centennial Committee has planned 
several countywide celebrations, including the installation of a Survey 
Plaque in the Campbell County Courthouse. In addition, the Centennial 
Ranch Committee plans to honor the members of 33 ranches that have been 
in operation for 100 years or longer. It is my pleasure to recognize 
the following ranches and their commitment to preserving Wyoming's 
ranching way of life: the Brennan Ranch, T-Chair Ranch, Pumpkin Butte 
Ranch, Christensen Ranch, Clabaugh Ranch, Collins Ranch, Daly Ranch, 
Fitch Ranch, 2 Heart Ranch, Hall Ranch, Innes Ranch, Kretschman Ranch, 
Little Buffalo Ranch, T7 Ranch, Maycock Ranch, Mooney Ranch, Morse and 
Harris Family Ranch, Have Not Ranch, Oedekoven Ranch, Pahasha Ranch, 
Parks Ranch, Parks Evans Ranch, Paul Rourke Ranch, Sorenson Ranch, 
Swartz Ranch, Thar Ranch, Underwood Ranch, Wright Ranch, Barlow Ranch, 
Bridle Bit Ranch, John Hines Ranch, Kuhbacher Ranch and West Cross V 
Ranch.
  In honor of the centennial of Campbell County, I invite my colleagues 
to see this wonderful place in person. I applaud the residents of the 
county for their efforts to celebrate such rich history and to present 
it to visitors from all over the world.

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