[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15184]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOLFORD, NORTH DAKOTA

 Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a community 
in North Dakota that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. On July 9, 
the residents of Wolford, ND, will gather to celebrate the community's 
centennial.
  Wolford is a small town in the northern part of North Dakota with a 
population of 50. Although its population is small, Wolford holds an 
important place in North Dakota's history. It originated as a village 
named Orkney, honoring local homesteaders hailing from the Orkney 
Islands in Canada. The post office was established in June 1895. Then, 
in June 1905, the town site was plotted and renamed Wolford by a Great 
Northern railroad agent. The precise origin of the name still remains 
unclear.
  The people of Wolford take their education seriously. The 
kindergarten through twelfth grade public school was recently honored 
as a Blue Ribbon School for the students' academic achievements. 
Wolford also has a dedicated volunteer fire department, and the current 
mayor, Jim Wolf, recently helped organize a first response team. Every 
summer the Dale and Martha Hawk Museum, located northeast of Wolford, 
hosts an antique farm show. This year's show featured a 1912 Hackney 
plow, the only operational plow of its type still in existence today. 
The Prairie Arts Center, which is located on the museum's grounds, 
provides an opportunity for students to practice Raku, a Japanese 
pottery technique. Wolford's centennial celebration will include a 
parade, picnic lunch, an evening dance, a children's petting zoo, and a 
historical display.
  I ask the Senate to join me in congratulating Wolford, ND, and its 
residents on their first 100 years and in wishing them well through the 
next century. By honoring Wolford and all the other historic small 
towns of North Dakota, we keep the pioneering tradition alive for 
future generations. It is places such as Wolford that shaped this 
country into what it is today, which is why this fine community 
deserves our recognition.
  Wolford has a proud past and a bright future.

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