June 24, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 106 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S4453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF GRAND ISLE, MAINE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the 150th 
anniversary of the town of Grand Isle, ME. As one who was born and 
raised in Aroostook County, it is a great pleasure to celebrate the 
generations of industrious and caring people who have made Grand Isle 
such a wonderful place to live, work, and raise families.
  Named for a large and fertile island in the St. John River, Grand 
Isle is a small town with a rich history. For thousands of years, the 
river valley has been the home of the Micmac and Maliseet. French 
explorers, led by Samuel de Champlain, first visited the area in 1604. 
In the late 1700s, French-speaking Canadians began settling in the 
area, laying the foundation for the vibrant Acadian culture that is so 
important in Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and as far away as 
Louisiana.
  The Acadian settlers created a vibrant community. They cleared 
farmland, established lumber and grain mills, railroad roundhouses, and 
thriving general stores. In the 1870s, as railways expanded in the 
region, the people of Grand Isle joined with their Canadian neighbors 
on the opposite shore of the St. John River to build a ferry system 
that used an 800-foot cable suspended above the river to connect the 
products of their hard work to faraway markets.
  When the World Acadian Congress convened in Aroostook County in 2014, 
the descendants of those neighbors again came together to build a 
replica of that historic ferry. The Grand Isle homecoming held during 
the Congress celebrated the rich Acadian traditions of great food, 
music, and dance, and of close-knit families and lasting friendships.
  Those traditions are preserved and honored at the Cultural Museum of 
Mount Carmel and its remarkable collection of Acadian artifacts. The 
museum is located in the former Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic 
Church, one of the few surviving 19th-century Acadian churches in 
northern Maine. That beautiful architectural gem was lovingly restored 
by the people of the region and is listed on the National Registry of 
Historic Places.
  The celebration of Grand Isle's 150th anniversary is not merely about 
the passing of time; it is about human accomplishment. We celebrate the 
people who pulled together, cared for one another, and built a great 
community. Thanks to those who came before, Grand Isle, ME, has a 
wonderful history. Thanks to those there today, it has a bright future.

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