In Special Recognition of the Dedication of An Historical Landmark Sign Marking the Red River Ox Cart Trail in Anoka, Minnesota

IN SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF THE DEDICATION OF AN HISTORICAL LANDMARK SIGN MARKING THE RED RIVER OX CART TRAIL IN ANOKA, MINNESOTA -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 21, 2004)

Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the dedication of an historical marker where the Red River Ox Cart Trail once passed through the city of Anoka, Minnesota.

More than 150 years ago, the Red River Ox Cart Trail served as one of the main channels used by traders from Canada into St. Paul, Minnesota. The first of many ox cart trains on this trail was brought from Canada in 1844 by Norman W. Kittson, a trader for the American Fur Company, and within 20 years an annual amount of more than $250,000 worth of pelts, food and other goods were being transported in this manner to St. Paul, where some of the goods would be unloaded, repacked and sent down the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri for shipment east.

The carts used on this trail were unmistakable-large and wooden with six-foot wheels held together with wood pegs and rawhide, which produced a loud squealing sound that could be heard from miles away. The carts and their drivers, in their blue outfits adorned with brass buttons, red sashes and beaded caps became a familiar sight in St. Paul, where, after a 30-day trip from the Red River, the drivers would re-load their carts with food, medicine, hardware, and other goods before they returned northward.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize today's dedication of an historical marker where history literally drove through Anoka, Minnesota. The use of this trail and others like it helped create a thriving shipping economy in Minnesota, which was sustained well after ox carts were replaced by the railroads. Today's dedication is the result of much hard work. I applaud Anoka's Heritage Preservation Society in keeping a piece of Minnesota's rich history alive.