[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16375]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE CITY OF POLLOCK, SOUTH DAKOTA

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor and publicly 
acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Pollock, SD, a small community 
nestled on the eastern bluffs of the Missouri River marking the divide 
between eastern and western South Dakota.
  Located in northern Campbell County, Pollock's history is a bit 
different from most other South Dakota towns, due to its relocation in 
the 1950s. The town was originally formed in the mid-1880s under the 
name LaGrace, having been named after Mrs. Grace Fisk of Huron, SD. The 
town's name was changed to Pollock in 1901 to honor R.Y. Pollock, a 
pioneer lay minister and respected citizen. Although the first town of 
Pollock was platted in 1901, the present community was not established 
until 1955. Interestingly, ``new'' Pollock celebrates its 50th 
anniversary this year, yet 4 years ago, in 2001, residents commemorated 
``old'' Pollock's 100th anniversary.
  The original town was actually a combination of two river towns, 
LaGrace and Vanderbilt. The cities merged in 1901 and many buildings 
from surrounding communities were brought in. As a result, Pollock grew 
rapidly, and within months boasted a post office, grocery store, flour 
and feed store, three saloons, a butcher, a blacksmith, a pool hall, a 
hardware store, and a printer.
  Like most young communities in the Dakotas, Pollock was not without 
its share of tragedy and hardship. In August of 1911, a fire broke out, 
destroying a large portion of the business district. Additionally, 
``old'' Pollock was prone to flooding, as Spring Creek often overflowed 
during heavy rains. Still, despite these setbacks, Pollock's resilient 
residents always rebounded and rebuilt, which is a testimony to South 
Dakotans' legendary pioneer spirit.
  Until the early 1950s, Pollock's history was very much like most 
other South Dakota towns; however, that drastically changed in 1952, 
when the Army Corps of Engineers informed residents of its decision to 
build a dam on the Missouri River near Pierre. Although Pierre and 
Pollock are miles apart, the proposal also entailed flooding the entire 
town of Pollock and converting it into Lake Pocasse. Soon after 
learning of the Corps of Engineers' plan, residents formed the Pollock 
Flood Association, a committee designed to organize the public and help 
plan for the flood. The committee held a town meeting in January of 
1953, and residents unanimously decided to move the town to a new 
location, which they eventually determined would be the area referred 
to as ``the old golf course.'' In order to purchase the land, the 
community created a non-profit corporation to buy and subdivide the 
property into individual lots. Subsequently, town members looked at a 
map of the various plots, selected the site they wanted, and placed 
their desired lot number in an envelope. During the drawing, 
surprisingly, there were only two or three instances of multiple 
families choosing the same piece of land, and in those cases, a coin 
was flipped to determine the lucky owner. The Corps of Engineers then 
purchased people's ``old'' Pollock property on behalf of the 
government, and residents were given the opportunity to buy back their 
house for 12 cents to the dollar and move the building to the new site. 
``New'' Pollock's groundbreaking ceremony was held June 4, 1955, thus 
ultimately marking the birth of present-day Pollock, SD.
  Although transporting houses and other buildings was difficult, it 
paled in comparison to the railroad official's task of relocating the 
Minneapolis St. Paul and Sault Saint Marie Railroad, known as the Soo 
Line. The move involved constructing 5 miles of new grade and track, in 
addition to building a new engine house and relocating the depot. In 
mid-October of 1960, the task was complete and the first train arrived 
in Pollock to a large crowd of spectators. Despite the railroad's 
painstaking efforts to keep the trains accessible, its popularity began 
to decline shortly after the move. In 1987, the Soo Line route from 
Ashley, ND, to Pollock was abandoned, and the track was removed in 
1988.
  In 1956, E.L. MacKay founded the Pollock Pioneer, the town's first 
newspaper. MacKay recorded the growth of the new community, and 
actually coined Pollock's motto, ``A city built on a hill cannot be 
hid,'' when he used it as a byline for an article. To this day, the 
Pollock Pioneer continues to provide residents with accurate and 
reliable news coverage.
  One of Pollock's notable attractions is its 60 acre City Park. 
Designed by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks, in 
conjunction with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the recreation 
area is situated between the town and the waterfront. Year after year, 
City Park is host to countless family picnics and outdoor activities. 
The foliage throughout the park, as well as the entire town, noticeably 
enhances the beauty of this frontier community. As a matter of fact, 
15,000 of Pollock's trees were planted in 1956 by local volunteers. 
Fifty years after its founding, Pollock supports numerous tourist 
facilities, such as parks, camping sites, a beach, boat ramps, motels, 
and bait shops.
  Pollock is also home to Dairi-
Concepts' cheese plant. Originally named the Dakota Cheese Co., the 
plant was established by a group of local men in 1960. On its very 
first day of production, the Dakota Cheese Co. produced 1,350 pounds of 
cheddar cheese. Bought by Mid-America Dairymen in 1981, the plant, now 
called DairiConcepts, expanded to become Pollock's leading employer, 
with over 85 employees. Every day, the factory produces 62,000 pounds 
of mozzarella cheese.
  In the five decades since its founding, Pollock has provided its 
citizens with a rich and diverse atmosphere. Pollock's 300 proud 
residents celebrate the town's 50th anniversary June 24-26, 2005, and 
it is with great honor that I share with my colleagues this community's 
unique past and wish them the best for a promising future.

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