[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         McDONALD COUNTY, MISSOURI CELEBRATES SESQUICENTENNIAL

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                             HON. ROY BLUNT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 1999

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, today begins a year long celebration of 
McDonald County, Missouri's sesquicentennial.
  McDonald County is tucked away in the very southwest corner of my 
congressional district, bounded on the south by our good neighbors in 
Arkansas and our friends in Oklahoma on the west. McDonald County is 
noted for its friendly folks and scenic beauty. Clear streams and 
majestic limestone bluffs have long been attractions for sightseers and 
were prominent in the stories of early settlers. Add to that the 
booming economy and you have an All-American place to raise a family, 
start a business and put down or carefully nurture ``roots.'' The 
population in McDonald County, now over 20,000, is growing at more than 
14% a year making it one of Missouri's fastest growing counties in its 
150th year.
  Only a few hundred people called McDonald County, Missouri home when 
it was organized on March 3, 1849. It was named after Revolutionary War 
hero Alexander McDonald, a sergeant in the Continental Army. This year 
a series of events and observances will mark the county's milestone. 
March 3 is McDonald County History Day observed at all county 
buildings. Students will participate in art and history exhibits, and 
there are picnics, parades and festivities planned throughout the year.
  The county seat at Pineville celebrates ``Jesse James Days'' in 
August by reliving the 1938 filming of ``Jesse James,'' a movie 
production that brought stars Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power and Randolph 
Scott to McDonald County. In October the limestone bluffs and clear 
streams become the backdrop for some of North America's best fall 
foliage.
  McDonald County is a place for families and small towns. Nearly 70 
percent of the households are married families; half of those have 
children at home. the largest towns in McDonald County--Pineville, 
Anderson, Lanagan, Noel, Jane and Southwest City--had fewer than 2,000 
people each at the last census.
  McDonald County schools are meeting the growth in population with the 
construction of new schools all over the county--and they are doing it 
without federal handouts or new taxes (something Washington could learn 
from). The school system is financially stable and is ``paying as it 
goes.'' County and city governments are also keeping up with the growth 
with a positive eye on the future. Economic development and 
infrastructure needs are constantly scrutinized and considered.
  The economy is strong. A number of new businesses are springing up. A 
$53-million poultry industry makes McDonald County the leading 
livestock producing county in Missouri. Many of its residents work in 
McDonald County, but some commute to work in other places in a growing 
Southwest Missouri.
  McDonald County is in America's heartland. Within a hundred miles 
there are lakes and streams like Table Rock Lake and Roaring River, as 
well as the Mark Twain National Forest and live entertainment in 
Branson. There is a diversity of good jobs and professions, churches of 
many faiths and institutions of higher learning that abound in the 
region. McDonald County is a great place to live and work.
  Happy Sesquicentennial, McDonald County, Missouri.

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