[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14499]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE COMMUNITY OF STICKNEY, SOUTH DAKOTA

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor and publicly 
recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town of 
Stickney, SD. On July 4, 2005, Stickney residents look back on their 
community's proud past and look forward to a promising future.
  Located in southeastern South Dakota in Aurora County, Stickney was 
platted August 17, 1905. Like many towns in South Dakota, Stickney got 
its start with help from the railroad, specifically the Milwaukee 
Railroad. In fact, the town was named for the oldest railroad agent in 
the United States, John B. Stickney of Mazomanie, Wisconsin.
  Just before Christmas, 1905, construction of the tracks was finally 
complete. Shortly thereafter, on January 1, 1906, ``Maude,'' the line's 
first train, ventured into town. Following Maude's arrival, Stickney 
quickly flourished. By mid-1906, the town boasted three lumber 
companies, two hardware stores, two livery barns, a funeral home, a 
general store, a post office, a hotel, a pool hall, a blacksmith shop, 
two banks, and four grain elevators.
  On June 29, 1906, John McNeil published Stickney's first newspaper, 
Postal Card. Not long after its inception, McNeil sold the paper to 
J.S. Schuldt, who converted the printing shop into a schoolhouse. Grade 
school classes were held in the rear of the building, while high school 
classes were taught in the front. This establishment, like the paper, 
was also short lived, as a new school was constructed in 1907 to better 
accommodate the rapidly increasing number of students.
  In the century since its founding, Stickney has proven its ability to 
thrive. Stickney's more than 300 proud residents celebrate the 
community's 100th anniversary on July 4, 2005, and it is with great 
pleasure that I share with my colleagues the history of this great 
community.

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