Full Text of HR1165 97th General Assembly
HR1165 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate the residents of | 4 | | Farmer City as they celebrate the 175th anniversary of the | 5 | | city's founding; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In the early 1800s, central Illinois was an | 7 | | unbroken wilderness, inhabited by the Kickapoo and | 8 | | Pottawatomie Indians; occasionally, traders and adventurers | 9 | | traveled through the area; in the 1830s, pioneer families from | 10 | | the east and south began to arrive in the area, building cabins | 11 | | in the shelter of the timber groves along Salt Creek in Santa | 12 | | Anna Township; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, More settlers came and pioneers began to venture | 14 | | out onto the prairie north of the timber; on January 28, 1837, | 15 | | this prairie was platted and named Mt. Pleasant and a mail | 16 | | route was soon established; there was already a town in | 17 | | Illinois named Mt. Pleasant, so, in 1869, Jacob Swigart, a | 18 | | local member of the Illinois legislature, traveled to | 19 | | Springfield and introduced a bill into the Assembly proposing | 20 | | that Mt. Pleasant's name be changed to Farmer City; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Farmer City was a community of farmers, therefore | 22 | | the name was deemed very appropriate; Farmer City prospered as |
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| 1 | | 2 railroads traveled through the community; when the Civil War | 2 | | started, 250 brave men within a 6-mile radius of Farmer City | 3 | | enlisted and served their country; 37 did not return, taking a | 4 | | heavy toll on local families and leaving a huge impact; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Two devastating fires in 1879 and 1894 burned down | 6 | | much of the business district, but the community rebuilt and | 7 | | the town continued to grow and prosper; in the early 1900s, the | 8 | | first power plant was built, streets were brick-paved, a water | 9 | | tower was built, and modern utilities became available; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Illinois Route 39 (now, Route 150) and Route 48 | 11 | | (now, Route 54) were built through Farmer City, enabling | 12 | | citizens to travel with ease; Interstate 74 was opened in 1974, | 13 | | making travel even easier, with the Farm Land Rest Area opening | 14 | | just west of Farmer City in 1993; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Farmer City still has an electric plant, and now | 16 | | has an Ambulance District; a new high school was built in the | 17 | | year 2000; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Farmer City will have a Quartoseptcentennial | 19 | | 175th Birthday Celebration from June 30 to July 8, 2012; school | 20 | | reunions, parades, farm and antique displays, music, food, and | 21 | | other entertainment are planned; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 2 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate the residents of Farmer City on this momentous | 4 | | occasion; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to the residents of Farmer City as a symbol of our | 7 | | respect and esteem.
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