[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17458-17459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE TOWN OF BURKE

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I honor and publicly recognize the 
100th anniversary of the founding of the town of Burke, SD. The town of 
Burke has enjoyed a proud past and looks forward to a bright future.
  Founded in 1904, the town of Burke took its name from Charles Burke 
of Pierre, who served in the South Dakota legislature, U.S. Congress, 
and later as U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

[[Page 17459]]

Burke was platted as a government townsite and surveyed by Sam Chilton. 
On August 4, homesteaders gathered in the center of the townsite and 
raced on foot, on horseback and with wagons to lay their claims to 
plots in the town. Though the town was born with the sound of the 
pistol that day, Burke did not experience the boom that many of the 
other towns in the area did. Burke's growth was slow and purposeful. 
Early settlers faced and overcame the hardships of South Dakota 
winters, tedious trips to the nearest railroad town for supplies, the 
devastation of tornadoes, and even terrorization from gamblers and 
thugs that had made their way into town. The citizens of Burke cleaned 
up the rough element and earned a reputation as one of the most 
peaceable and law-abiding towns in the county.
  Since 1917, Burke has served as the county seat of Gregory County. 
The town lies about 30 miles west of the Missouri River in a region of 
fertile farmland and gently rolling hills. Currently, more than 650 
people live in Burke. The town celebrated its centennial birthday with 
festivities during the first week of August. Among the many events 
during the 5-day celebration were an alumni golf tournament, a 
centennial farm dance, a parade, an alumni banquet, a centennial coin 
auction, and a ballroom dance. It is with great honor that I advise my 
colleagues of the achievements made by this great community.

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