[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9130-9131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 141ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADMISSION OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA INTO THE 
                        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I proudly rise today to honor and 
celebrate my home State of Minnesota's 141st year of statehood. On this 
date in 1858, Congress admitted Minnesota into the Union as the thirty-
second State.
  Let me begin by saying that the name ``Minnesota'' comes from two 
Sioux Indian words meaning sky-tinted waters. Now Mr. President, if you 
have ever been to Minnesota you will agree that my State was properly 
named. These ``sky-tinted waters'' are representative of Minnesota's 
many lakes (in excess of 12,000) and the numerous rivers and streams 
which run throughout the State. In fact, Minnesota has more shoreline 
than California, Florida and Hawaii combined!
  Several million Minnesotans and out-of-state visitors take advantage 
of these waters every year to swim, water ski, boat, canoe, or fish. 
This Saturday, May 15, represents one of my home State's most treasured 
yearly experiences, the fishing opener. I have always been impressed 
with the spirit the opener brings out and the way it joins our State 
and visitors in a common interest. Out on the lake, people aren't too 
concerned with the difficulties of everyday life. Once a fishing rod is 
nestled tightly in hand, Minnesotans tend to forget the phone, the fax, 
or the other annoyances that consume so much of our lives today. The 
experience re-connects us to a much simpler time.
  In addition to Minnesota's water resources, one-third of the State is 
covered with forests. Aspen, balsam fir, pine, spruce, and white birch 
grow in the northern part of the State, whereas groves of ash, black 
walnut, elm, maple and oak grow in the south. These forests form the 
centerpiece of 66 State parks, 55 State forests, one national park, and 
two national forests, all of which provide outdoor enthusiasts with 
scenic hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities on a year-round 
basis.
  Mr. President, in addition to our beautiful lakes, streams, forests, 
and parks, Minnesota has much more to offer. My State produces 75 
percent of the nation's iron ore which covers a section of northern 
Minnesota rightly known as the ``Iron Range.'' There are also large 
deposits of granite found near St. Cloud and along the upper 
Mississippi River. I am proud to say that over 6,000 tons of Minnesota 
granite was used to make the walls and floor for the Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt memorial here in Washington, D.C.
  The fertile soil has been key to Minnesota's overall economy, 
providing suitable farmland that covers a little more than half the 
State. Agriculture is Minnesota's largest industry, generating over $22 
billion in goods and services per year. One of every four Minnesota 
jobs is tied in some way to agriculture, and 25 percent of our overall 
economy is dependent upon farmers and agri-business. Today Minnesota 
has approximately 87,000 family farms. Even though times are difficult 
for many of these family farmers, Minnesota depends upon their 
successful recovery.
  Furthermore, Minnesota is home to some of the world's leading job 
providers--including 3M, Pillsbury, Honeywell, and Cargill, to name a 
few. Minnesota is also known for its achievements in the area of health 
care. It is a leader in the medical device industry and home to one of 
the world's premier health care facilities, the Mayo Clinic in 
Rochester.

[[Page 9131]]

  Minnesota is also the birthplace of many great innovations which have 
become part of our American culture, such as Cellophane Transparent 
Tape, Post-it Notes, and the world's first enclosed mall located at 
Southdale Shopping Center in Edina. Today we have the Mall of America 
in Bloomington which is one of the world's largest enclosed malls and 
most popular tourist destinations. Among other notable Minnesota facts, 
we are the source of the Mississippi River, home to the busiest 
freshwater port in North America (which also happens to be the farthest 
inland ocean port in the United States), and Minnesota reaches the 
furthest north of the 48-continental States.
  Mr. President, I hope I have managed to convey the pride I have for 
my state and its people, and in doing so, have perhaps encouraged 
others to visit. As a U.S. Senator from Minnesota, I wanted to express 
the honor I feel in representing the people of my State, which I 
believe is one of the premier States in the greatest country on 
Earth.

                          ____________________