HR1047 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1047 LRB095 20251 GRL 47109 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the citizens of the City of Wood River on the occasion of the city's 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The history of Wood River began in the winter of 1803-04, when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set up their headquarters at Camp Du Bois, at the mouth of Wood River, in preparation for their famous expedition; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the 19th century, the Wood River valley remained mostly empty, except for railroad tracks and scattered farms; interest was renewed in the area in 1907, when the Standard Oil Refinery arrived in the Wood River valley; the factory, which produced kerosene, fuel oil, paraffin, asphalt, and eventually gasoline, attracted large numbers of settlers who wished to work there; the same year, A.E. Benbow, a local entrepreneur, founded Benbow City to accommodate those workers; and

WHEREAS, In 1908, the City of Wood River was incorporated and developed around Benbow City; after the merger of Wood River and East Wood River in 1911, Benbow City was annexed in 1917, creating the modern City of Wood River; and

WHEREAS, The City of Wood River became one of the fastest growing communities in the country, containing more factory workers than houses by the 1920s; many Sears and Roebuck catalog homes were ordered by Standard Oil to accommodate the burgeoning demand; and

WHEREAS, In 1957, The Standard Oil Refinery was modernized, making the Wood River Refinery one of the leading industries in the area, with chemical additives added to the list of consumer products shipped from Wood River; and

WHEREAS, After the closing of Amoco Oil Company's oil refining operations at Wood River Refinery in 1980 and the closing of the Wood River plant in 1995, the citizens of Wood River were forced to make many changes to their local economy, a feat they pursued with spectacular efficiency; and

WHEREAS, In celebration of the city's 100th anniversary, the citizens of Wood River have planned numerous events throughout the year of 2008, including a fireworks display at Belk Park, an ice cream social in Central Park, and the Downtown Croatian-Italian Fall Festival; and

WHEREAS, The great prosperity and growth that the City of Wood River has enjoyed is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of its fine citizens; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the citizens of the City of Wood River on the occasion of the city's 100th anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Wood River Mayor Fred Ufert as a symbol of our esteem and respect.