[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS INTERNATIONAL 
                                 BRIDGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM L. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th 
Anniversary Celebration of the Thousand Islands International Bridge.
  After 16 months of construction, 20,700 cubic yards of concrete, 798 
tons of reinforcing steel, 6,550 tons of structural steel, 555 tons of 
cable materials and 575,000 man hours of labor, the bridge system 
opened 10 weeks ahead of schedule, on August 18, 1938. At the 
dedication ceremony, with 25,000 onlookers lining along the border, 
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie 
King shared the stage, highlighting the unique and special relationship 
of the U.S. and Canada.
  The U.S.-Canada relationship is not only an economic one, but one 
shared in common principles. While the U.S.-Canada trade relationship 
is the largest one in the world, accounting for nearly $700 billion in 
goods and services, our nations share representative democracy, 
individual liberty, and a common interest of opportunity for all. With 
nearly 2,000,000 crossings annually along the Thousand Islands 
International Bridge System, tourists from both the U.S. and Canada can 
explore the region's unique geographic and cultural offerings. Today, 
the bridge system continues to demonstrate the rare and long-standing 
common bond shared between the two countries.
  I rise today to recognize this time in history, and to also 
congratulate the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority on this achievement 
and their excellent work.

                          ____________________