HR0538 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0538 LRB099 12630 MST 36250 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Village of Ladd on the 125th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, Ladd was incorporated on June 7, 1890, taking its name from George D. Ladd of Peru; and

WHEREAS, Ladd was originally a construction camp settled in 1888 by workers from railroad companies that were extending track through the area to serve a grain elevator and coal mine; the Whitebreast Fuel Co. purchased 10,500 acres of land in eastern Bureau County in and around what would become present-day Ladd; and

WHEREAS, Ladd became a major railroad hub, shipping coal via rail to other parts of the country; the population surged to over 2,000 citizens by the 1920s; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the years, residents of Ladd have been resilient and have weathered the many problems that they have faced, including the Great Depression and World War II, and the village is still considered the "Magnificent Little Village"; and

WHEREAS, Today, Ladd is home to 1,295 citizens and is known for its fried chicken and prospering group of entrepreneurial businesses; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Village of Ladd on the 125th anniversary of its founding and we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Village of Ladd as an expression of our esteem and respect.