[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RICHLAND COUNTY, MONTANA

 Mr. WALSH. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Richland County 
in eastern Montana as a testament to the strength of the American 
Dream.
  This year, Richland County celebrates its 100th year anniversary. 100 
years of ingenuity, 100 years of prosperity, and 100 years of history.
  Throughout the years, Richland County has undergone many changes. The 
past century has seen booms in agriculture, the discovery of oil, the 
arrival of fracking, and a nation in peacetime and wartime. Through it 
all, the people who call the county home share the core values of 
service, honesty, and the willingness to help a neighbor in need.
  When pioneers first settled in eastern Montana they were not 
guaranteed prosperity, but they brought with them a strong work ethic. 
That resilience was instrumental in the construction of the Lower 
Yellowstone Irrigation Project canal that brought water to the area and 
allowed the pioneers to irrigate crops and develop the plains. The 
farmers were taming an area of the country many thought could not be 
tamed.
  Today, agriculture producers from Richland County continue to grow 
the crops and raise the cattle that feed the world--working the land 
the same way those before them did.
  In the 1970s, in a world hungry for oil, Richland County was eager to 
help supply the country with its resources. Through the decade to 
follow, the county boomed with energy through an age of prosperity. 
Now, hydraulic fracking and the development of the Bakken Formation 
bring Richland once again to the center of an energy boom unmatched 
anywhere in the United States.
  Perhaps the greatest quality of the county is its kind citizens who 
are always willing to lend a hand to a neighbor. Despite their fast-
paced lives, they still exhibit the same generosity, diligence, and 
spirit the pioneers brought to Richland County 100 years ago.
  I congratulate Richland County for its contributions to our State, 
our Nation, and the world. We look forward to the next century being as 
exciting as the last.

                          ____________________