[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 176 (Monday, December 7, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H9016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING DOUGLAS ``STRETCH'' BAKER OF NYE COUNTY, NEVADA

  (Mr. HARDY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HARDY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Douglas ``Stretch'' 
Baker of Nye County, Nevada, for his dedicated service to save and 
preserve the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. The park, a critically 
acclaimed tourism site, is a crucial part of the mining heritage of 
Tonopah and the proud history of the State of Nevada.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Baker has given countless hours of his time and use 
of his equipment to make the site safe and attractive to visitors, to 
build a unique welcoming sign and gate, and to promote the park through 
appropriate signage.
  When it became known that the signature Mizpah shaft was in immediate 
need of repair, the Tonopah Historic Mining Park Foundation undertook a 
momentous fundraising effort to save the structure and was able to 
raise over $100,000.
  Mr. Baker was invaluable in the effort, even acting as a crane 
operator and ``adviser in chief.''
  Mr. Speaker, Douglas ``Stretch'' Baker is to be commended, along with 
the Tonopah Historic Mining Park Foundation Board, for bringing the 
exciting project to a successful conclusion, thereby preserving one of 
the most important artifacts of Nevada's mining history.

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