Full Text of HR1020 93rd General Assembly
HR1020 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR1020 |
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LRB093 22425 HSS 51784 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the | 3 |
| State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the City of | 4 |
| Beardstown on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; and
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| WHEREAS, Beardstown was first settled in 1819 and is the | 6 |
| sixth oldest chartered city in the State of Illinois; the | 7 |
| city's founder, Thomas Beard, originally from Granville, New | 8 |
| York, with his friend, General Murray McConnel of Edwardsville, | 9 |
| arrived at the Indian Mound Village in 1819; Mr. Beard erected | 10 |
| a log cabin at the edge of the Illinois River and began trading | 11 |
| with the Indians; he went on to start a ferry service crossing | 12 |
| the river in 1826 and later built a two-story brick building | 13 |
| which was used for 85 years as a store and inn; this inn | 14 |
| sheltered the young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln, on his visits to | 15 |
| Beardstown; the inn was torn down when the new modern post | 16 |
| office was erected on the site; and
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| WHEREAS, Many people soon settled in this bounty land; in | 18 |
| 1829, the city was platted and named for Thomas Beard; the | 19 |
| original town consisted of 21 blocks along the river front, 3 | 20 |
| blocks deep, with City Square as the center block; both Abraham | 21 |
| Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches in the square during | 22 |
| their senatorial campaign in 1855; as a young man, Abraham | 23 |
| Lincoln was chosen to lead the Sangamon County company of | 24 |
| soldiers during the Black Hawk War in 1832; he was installed as | 25 |
| Captain on a spot near the Illinois River, located in Schmoldt | 26 |
| Park at the North end of Wall Street in Beardstown; and
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| WHEREAS, By 1834, Beardstown was a growing port that | 28 |
| shipped from its wharves grain, hogs, and provisions to the | 29 |
| interior of the State and downriver to markets; it became known | 30 |
| as "Porkopolis" because of its stockyards and slaughterhouses, | 31 |
| where more than 50,000 hogs were processed annually; the | 32 |
| railroad came to Beardstown in 1869 with the laying of the |
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HR1020 |
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LRB093 22425 HSS 51784 r |
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| Rockford, Rock Island, and St. Louis Railroad track; Beardstown | 2 |
| was an important division point, and a roundhouse was built in | 3 |
| 1882 for repair of engines; and
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| WHEREAS, Beardstown, located on Mile 88 of the Illinois | 5 |
| River, was at one time known as the Belle of the Bend; its | 6 |
| famous marina was a well-known boat stop for river travelers; | 7 |
| today, many hunters and fishermen travel to Beardstown for | 8 |
| sport because of its many natural bays, streams, and wooded | 9 |
| areas; surrounding the town is a marsh that is the habitat for | 10 |
| several species of wildlife; local people still use the | 11 |
| Illinois River for pleasure as well as to earn a living; in the | 12 |
| days of old, fishing was a major industry in the area and | 13 |
| button factories opened along the river because of the mussel | 14 |
| and freshwater pearl fishing; and
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| WHEREAS, Agriculture is important in the area, Beardstown | 16 |
| being well-known for its production of watermelons, which are | 17 |
| trucked to many major cities in the country; nearby farms also | 18 |
| produce corn, soybeans, Christmas trees, hogs, and cattle; and
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| WHEREAS, The City of Beardstown will celebrate its 175th | 20 |
| anniversary July 2, 2004 through July 4, 2004; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 22 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 23 |
| congratulate the City of Beardstown on the occasion of its | 24 |
| 175th anniversary; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 26 |
| presented to the City of Beardstown as an expression of our | 27 |
| esteem and with best wishes for a prosperous future.
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