[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16342]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      125TH ANNIVERSARY OF RUTLAND

 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, it was 125 years ago that pioneers 
in Dakota Territory created the community that is now Rutland, ND. 
Those pioneers included hopeful immigrants from Norway, Sweden, 
Germany, Ireland, Poland, England, and Scotland, seeking new homesteads 
on the unbroken prairie; hard-driving businessmen and railroad workers 
from the Eastern States finding opportunity on America's frontier; and 
the Wahpeton-Sisseton band of the Dakota people, adapting to changing 
times and preserving ancient traditions as their world changed around 
them.
  These pioneers built a solid foundation of family, faith, and 
education for their community, establishing farm homes, churches, and 
schools first. When the Great Northern Railway built its line through 
the territory, the community was given its name in honor of Rutland, 
VT, the hometown of many of the pioneer railroaders. The green hills of 
the Coteau de Prairie south of the town, reminded them of their home in 
the Green Mountains.
  In those early years, the pioneers of the Rutland community endured 
drought, harsh winters, and economic exploitation, but their faith, 
independent spirit, and cooperative attitude carried them through the 
tough times and made the good times better. It has been said that 
Rutland could be renamed Phoenix because, like that mythical bird, the 
city's business district has twice risen from the ashes of devastating 
fires to rebuild better and stronger each time. One of the business 
buildings destroyed by the second fire, back in 1941, was a unique 
combination of economic enterprises, perhaps a forerunner of today's 
megamalls. The second floor was a hotel, providing rest and refuge for 
weary travelers, while three businesses occupied the ground floor: In 
the front was a harness and shoe repair shop, keeping Rutland folks 
either afoot or on horseback, and they always knew which; at the center 
of the building was a cream station, where farm produce including 
chickens, eggs, cream, and butter was bought and sold; and at the rear 
of the building was a funeral parlor, which had a double life as an 
illicit gambling casino, when a paying customer was not laid out in 
somber repose. That building and those businesses went up in smoke many 
years ago, but this week, another new business, the Rutland General 
Store, has opened its doors on Rutland's Main Street, showing that the 
spirit of optimism that inspired our pioneer ancestors is still alive 
and thriving in the community they built. The optimism and patriotism 
of Rutland citizens is reflected in the fact that men and women from 
the community have served in the Nation's military service in every 
conflict from the Civil War to the current engagements in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  Over the past 125 years, Rutland has been noted for many 
accomplishments: The home of one of North Dakota's outstanding amateur 
baseball teams, the Rutland Roosters; the Rutland Rockets and Sargent 
Central Cadets High School sports teams always tough and usually 
victorious; location of the Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, 
conserving and preserving our Nation's natural heritage; an award as a 
National Bicentennial Community in 1976; an award as a North Dakota 
Centennial Community in 1989; home to Obed Wyum, a national leader in 
the establishment of rural electric and rural telephone cooperatives; 
and making it into the ``Guinness Book of World Records'' with the 
world's largest hamburger, a 3,591-pound whopper, as part of the 
community's centennial celebration in 1982.
  But many more of Rutland's successes never garnered headlines. They 
were the quiet but meaningful stories of strong families, vibrant 
businesses, prosperous farms, good kids, and the warmth of citizens who 
cared about each other.
  Rutland is both a wellspring and a repository of what is best about 
America--old-fashioned values of honesty, decency, hard work, faith, 
and family. Its foundation is solid, and its people will continue to 
create a community where dreams are turned into reality.

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