Political Quotes

“I am here today to add my voice to those celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion of 1854. This was an important journey in the upper Mississippi River valley that incorporated rail and steamboat travel and went from Chicago, Illinois to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and to the Falls of Saint Anthony. This trip began as a promotion by the Rock Island Railroad, the first railroad to reach the Mississippi and ended up transporting more than a thousand businessmen, statesmen, journalists, and others, including President Millard Fillmore, into the West. The Grand Excursion brought recognition and interest to the natural beauty and economic potential of the upper Mississippi River valley. The Grand Excursion helped open up the upper Mississippi River area, which includes Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, creating a number of communities all along the river. My district includes the city of Rock Island, the starting point for the riverboat journey, and many other communities that flourished. The prosperity of much of the Midwest was due to the development of the Mississippi River and the interest that developed in the valley's natural resources and access to the west.”