SENATE RESOLUTION 43--HONORING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LINDSBORG, KANSAS; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 22
(Senate - February 05, 2019)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page S870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 43--HONORING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF LINDSBORG, KANSAS
Mr. MORAN (for himself and Mr. Roberts) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 43
Whereas February 20, 2019, marks the 150th anniversary of
the establishment of Lindsborg, a town in McPherson County,
Kansas;
Whereas, in 1868, Kansas was known as ``the great American
desert,'' as it was reported that it never rained in Kansas,
and upon organizing the first Swedish Agricultural Company in
April 1868, Chairman John Ferm said, ``If God is going to let
us settle in Kansas, he will give us rain.'';
Whereas, after claims were filed in May 1866 in the general
area that was to become Lindsborg, the Swedish Agricultural
Company entered into a contract for the purchase of 16,000
acres of land from the Kansas-Pacific Rail Road Company;
Whereas, in December 1868, a call to Sweden for settlers
was sent and a promising young pastor named Dr. Olof Olsson
was chosen to lead a large group of settlers the next spring;
Whereas, on January 20, 1869, the Swedish Agricultural
Company settled the site that was to become Lindsborg and the
development of the land and farming commenced;
Whereas, the Swedish Agriculture Company, with several
members of the Company having ``Lind'' in their surname,
determined the name of the settlement to be ``Lindsborg'' on
February 20, 1869, and, the members having fulfilled their
role, the Swedish Agricultural Company was dissolved shortly
thereafter;
Whereas Pastor Olof Olsson and a group of 100 Swedish
immigrants from the Varmland province of Sweden arrived at
the settlement on June 27, 1869;
Whereas Lindsborg is widely known as ``Little Sweden'' due
to its Swedish traditions and population of Swedish
immigrants;
Whereas the Sesquicentennial Festival Committee for
Lindsborg has declared the theme for 2019 to be ``Sweden to
the Plains--Living the Legacy'';
Whereas Svensk Hyllningsfest is a biennial festival
celebrating the Swedish heritage of Lindsborg with arts and
crafts, special foods, ethnic music, traditional folk dance
and dress, and other Swedish entertainment;
Whereas King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden visited Lindsborg
during his royal tour of the United States in April 1976; and
Whereas the Swedish immigrants who settled in Kansas
endured harsh weather conditions to establish Lindsborg and
the people of Lindsborg have continued to maintain their
Swedish heritage, making Lindsborg a cultural destination:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors Lindsborg, Kansas, on the 150th anniversary of
its establishment;
(2) commends the men and women who have made Lindsborg the
town full of rich culture it is today; and
(3) honors the immigrants of the Varmland province of
Sweden for settling in Lindsborg.
____________________
