[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CRAGIN & PIKE'S 90TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. BRYAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize one of 
Nevada's oldest and most respected businesses on the occasion of its 
90th Anniversary. The Las Vegas insurance firm of Cragin & Pike was 
begun in 1909 by Ernie Cragin and William Pike, pioneers in the truest 
sense of the word. In 1909, Las Vegas was a newborn city, having been 
founded just four years earlier as a railroad division point for the 
San Perdro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.
  Since its 20th century birth, when Las Vegas was established as a 
railroad community, the Las Vegas Valley has seen dynamic change. 
Cragin & Pike has enjoyed as colorful a history as the city it calls 
home, both witnessing and shaping the events that would make Las Vegas 
the world's premier city for entertainment and tourism. Ernie Cragin 
himself served as the mayor of Las Vegas for 25 years. William Pike saw 
the legalization of Nevada gambling in 1931 and the construction of the 
Boulder Dam completed four years later. Cragin & Pike has been a full 
partner to many of the city's most familiar names in business.
  In a city that defines itself by the ever changing view from the Las 
Vegas Strip, Cragin & Pike has endured through its dedication to its 
customers and its rock solid business philosophies. I know that its 
name sake founders would be as proud as I am today to see this 
innovative yet faithful member of the Las Vegas community observe yet 
another achievement in the celebration of its 90th Anniversary. I 
congratulate the partners and associates of Cragin & Pike on this 
accomplishment, and look forward to many more.

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