[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING CLARK COUNTY'S BICENTENNIAL

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                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 26, 2019

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, Illinois' Clark County was formed in 1819 
out of Crawford County. At the time of its formation, Clark County 
included about a third of Illinois and extended as far north as the 
present state of Wisconsin. Clark County was so large that it gave 
birth to many of its sister counties: Pike County and Fayette County in 
1821, Edgar County two years later, and Coles County in 1830.
  Clark County enjoys an illustrious history. The county was named for 
George Rogers Clark, the older brother of William Clark of the Lewis 
and Clark Expedition. George Rogers Clark was an officer of the army of 
Virginia that captured the Northwest Territory from the British during 
the Revolutionary War.
  Clark County's first courthouse was a log house located in Aurora, 
and the county seat was in Darwin Township, but by popular vote 
Marshall was designated the new seat in 1839. In the late 1800s, county 
leaders believed they were outgrowing their latest building, so a 
fourth courthouse was built in 1887. The current courthouse, which is 
the county's fifth, has been in place since 1903.
  The people of Clark County have planned many festivities to celebrate 
their bicentennial this year. The celebration began on January 9th with 
Clark County Trivia Night, and commemorative activities will extend to 
October. I am honored to be a part of that celebration.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that we pay tribute to those hearty people who 
first settled in Clark County, and to the pioneering spirit that lives 
today in all its citizens. I stand today to salute Clark County on its 
200th anniversary and to wish it the very best in the future.

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