[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13137]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE CITY OF EGAN, SOUTH DAKOTA

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor and publicly 
recognize the town of Egan, South Dakota as it celebrates its 125th 
anniversary on July 4, 2005. It is at this time that I would like to 
draw to my colleagues' attention the achievements and history of this 
charming town on the prairie. Egan stands as an enduring tribute to all 
those who had the courage to pursue their greatest dreams on the plains 
of South Dakota.
  Egan is a small community nestled amongst the fertile farmland of 
southeastern South Dakota. It was founded in 1880 to service the 
Milwaukee Railroad as it made its way west through Dakota Territory. 
The town was first incorporated by Joe Enoe, Alfred Brown, and John 
Hobart. Rectangular in shape, Egan grew quickly and soon included seven 
square miles of Moody County, thereby encompassing a new mill on the 
Big Sioux River and the small village of Roscoe--which was, by the way, 
a different community than the Roscoe, SD that exists in Edmunds County 
today.
  Roscoe had been started four years earlier, in 1876, when Decatour D. 
Bidwell chose the spot on the Big Sioux River for his new mill. Roscoe 
also served as a stopping point for the numerous travelers who used a 
nearby river crossing, one of the best fords for many miles. Soon the 
town of Roscoe boasted two restaurants, a store, a saloon, a newspaper, 
and the first courthouse in Moody County. However, due to Egan's 
increasing growth and popularity, in addition to the railroad's new 
sturdy and reliable bridges that phased out Roscoe's river crossing, 
all that remains of the pioneer village of Roscoe is a small pasture 
scattered with pieces of millstone.
  The Baptist and Methodist Episcopal churches were the first to be 
built in the town of Egan. These two churches were constructed by all 
members of the community, regardless of faith or profession, in 
response to a promise made by Mr. Egan, the prominent railroad official 
for whom the city is named. Mr. Egan promised a church bell to the 
first church with a belfry equipped to receive it. The Baptist Church 
was the first completed, and therefore received the much-desired bell. 
While the bell now hangs in the tower of the Methodist Church, it is 
still used to call worshippers to services every Sunday morning.
  Egan experienced a great deal of economic prosperity in the early 
twentieth century. In 1904, Egan boasted nearly seven hundred people 
and more than fifty prosperous business enterprises. These included a 
state bank, three hotels, two hardware stores, an implement house, four 
grain elevators, six general stores, a flourishing mill, two lumber 
yards, two doctors, a newspaper, a furniture store, and an opera house.
  The curtailment of the railroad, better roads providing alternate 
routes that sidestepped Egan, and the rise of more modern methods of 
transportation fostered travel to larger towns in the state, thus 
making it more difficult for businesses in Egan to draw in customers. 
Nevertheless, technology and progress can never undermine the firm 
resolve and remarkable work ethic that is characteristic of the great 
people of this country's heartland. The vision of those individuals who 
had the courage to make a home for themselves on the plains of the 
Dakotas serves as inspiration to all those who believe in the honest 
pursuit of their dreams. On July 4, 2005, the 257 proud residents of 
Egan will celebrate their vibrant history and the legacy of the pioneer 
spirit with the 125th anniversary of the city's founding.

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