[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE'S 
                   REDBIRD RANGER STATION CLUB HOUSE

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                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 2024

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
100th Anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service's Redbird Ranger Station 
Club House in southeastern Kentucky, which has a rich history tied to 
Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and Fordson Coal Company.
  Southern and Eastern Kentucky has an abundance of historic American 
treasures tucked away in our Appalachian communities, like the Redbird 
Purchase Unit. Location names in the mountains preface the stories that 
unfold on the land, including the fork in the Kentucky River where this 
unit is located, named for Chief Red Bird, a legendary Cherokee.
  The Ford Motor Company owned 60,000 acres in the Daniel Boone 
National Forest to harvest timber when hardwood was used for automobile 
parts and wheel spokes. The land was eventually acquired by the U.S. 
Forest Service and today, the Redbird Purchase Unit includes nearly 
146,000 acres of the forest. Mary Breckinridge, the region's famous 
nursing pioneer who established the Frontier Nursing Service to offer 
prenatal care to Appalachian women, personally visited Washington, D.C. 
to advocate for the federal purchase unit to help protect and manage 
the forest at the headwaters of the Kentucky River. Mary Breckinridge 
was a friend of Henry Ford's wife, Clara, who helped support her 
efforts to provide nurse-midwives in our rural region where healthcare 
access was desperately needed. Her dedicated efforts to save lives and 
protect the forest were both successful.
  The building that now serves as the Redbird Ranger Station was built 
by the Fordson Coal Company 100 years ago to house Fordson survey 
crews, engineers and draftsmen. The ``Club House,'' as it was known, is 
where employees would gather for meals and social activities. The 
original hand-cut wood paneling in the home was made from native maple, 
oak, walnut and American chestnut trees, and is still preserved on the 
walls today.
  Conservation efforts of the U.S. Forest Service have helped preserve 
the Daniel Boone National Forest and the incredible history of 
Kentucky's Appalachian region. It is an honor to recognize their 
diligent efforts on the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service's 
Redbird Ranger Station.

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