[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14177]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  FORT PIERRE BICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
history, culture, and community of Fort Pierre as we celebrate its 
bicentennial anniversary.
  Located at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Bad River, 
the current location of Fort Pierre had long been occupied by Native 
Americans, including the Lakota and Arikara. In 1743, the French 
explorers Francois and Louis-Joseph Verendrye first encountered this 
area. Six decades later, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark 
made their first contact with the Lakota Nation at the Bad River 
Gathering in present-day Fort Pierre, and it soon became a prominent 
fur trading center. Its proximity and ease of access to the Missouri 
River helped Fort Pierre grow from a fur trading settlement into a 
regional hub and a prosperous community.
  Fort Pierre remains the oldest continuous area of European settlement 
in South Dakota. Today Fort Pierre is still fiercely independent, the 
place where the East meets the Old West. The rugged cowboy spirit 
remains strong and cattle still outnumber people. The legacy of self-
reliant pioneers and entrepreneurs who founded this community is 
evident yet today. With its river breaks and wide-open plains, locals 
enjoy many outdoor adventures, including fishing and boating, a weekend 
rodeo, or conversations around the campfire. Hunting is a big part of 
the culture, and Stanley County is home to some of the best hunting 
land in the State.
  As residents of Fort Pierre, Jean and I are happy to call this 
vibrant community our home. I congratulate the city of Fort Pierre on 
celebrating its 200th anniversary and wish it all the best in the years 
to come.

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