Delmont, South Dakota

Floor Speech

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the 125th anniversary of the founding of the community of Delmont, SD. I am proud to honor the people of Delmont and extend my congratulations to them on this memorable occasion.

Delmont was a railroad town along the Milwaukee Road even before South Dakota achieved statehood. An investor named Thomas Ball built the town at the top of a hill overlooking the East Choteau Creek Valley. Its railroad depot served the people of Douglas County.

Many of the people who originally settled Delmont were Germans from Russia. Today they still celebrate their heritage with the annual Old-time Harvest Festival. The residents use the celebration to honor their heritage with kuchen, a sweet German pastry with a custard topping, South Dakota's official dessert. This year's festival will be special in honor of the 125th anniversary. The 2-day festivities will include tractor pulls, demonstrations of frontier-era harvesting equipment, fireworks, and plenty of kuchen.

A hundred twenty-five years after its founding, Delmont continues to celebrate its rich heritage through the Old-time Harvest Festival. Though the railroad is gone, the community remains an important historical and cultural asset to South Dakota. I am proud to honor the achievements of Delmont on this memorable occasion

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