[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 122 (Wednesday, September 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1494-E1495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HIGHLAND 175TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2012

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 175th 
birthday of the great city of Highland, Illinois. Originally settled in 
1831 by the Swiss immigrant Koepfli family, and named Helvetia, or New 
Switzerland, Highland got its name five years later when a local man, 
General Joseph Semple, commented that the area reminded him of his 
native Scotland. A year after that, in 1837, Highland was formally 
chartered as a city. The town still retains its connection to 
Switzerland, partnering with the Koepfli's home in Switzerland, Sursee, 
as a Sister City since the 1970s, and hosting numerous festivals each 
year honoring the Swiss and German roots of the community.
  Highland was the home of Louis Latzer, also known as the Father of 
Pet Milk, because he was the man who perfected the process of 
condensing milk, thereby making milk, and its myriad health benefits, 
available to large numbers of people. Mr. Latzer's homestead and museum 
remain open today in Highland for visitors.
  Today, Highland is home to 9,919 people, the Highland Bulldogs, and 
many fine civic clubs, churches, and businesses, large and small. In 
September, the city will celebrate the 175th Jubilee, a three-day 
celebration of Highland's proud past, while looking toward a bright 
future.
  I want to congratulate Mayor Joe Michaelis and Lynn Hargus, President 
of the Highland Historical Society, along with their staffs and

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volunteers, for all of their hard work organizing this fall's Jubilee. 
I especially want to salute all the hard-working citizens of Highland, 
past and present, who have made the community such a great place to 
live and work. I am proud to represent such an outstanding community, 
and I want to wish them another 175 years of success.

                          ____________________