HR1273 LRB094 20418 HSS 58590 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Village of Malta will celebrate its
3 Sesquicentennial on June 10-11, 2006; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The town was settled upon the fertile, billowy
5 prairie, without the usual benefits of groves or streams to
6 attract early settlers; Ezekiel Whitehead commenced farming
7 operations in the area in 1851 and was soon joined by land
8 speculators; and
 
9     WHEREAS, When the Galena Railroad Company built a branch
10 line through the town in 1854 and established a station to load
11 farm produce, the town grew rapidly; it was recognized as a
12 village in 1856; and
 
13     WHEREAS, A fire from a kerosene lamp nearly consumed the
14 town in 1894; homes and stores were rebuilt using brick rather
15 than wood materials, and citizens voted to build a large barrel
16 cistern at the fire station in 1899 and pipe water to hydrants
17 and homes throughout the town; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The Malta Women's Club with their philosophy of "a
19 better Malta" opened the first library which they maintained in
20 different locations until the present building was constructed
21 with donations of money and land; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Malta was renown for its municipal band and
23 holiday parades; passenger trains would bring thousands of
24 people from across Northern Illinois to Malta for Fourth of
25 July and other celebrations; and
 
26     WHEREAS, As the nation began to manufacture millions of
27 cars and trucks at the start of the twentieth century, a
28 transcontinental highway was planned; Congress appropriated
29 money for the "Lincoln Highway" which would run through Malta;

 

 

HR1273 - 2 - LRB094 20418 HSS 58590 r

1 and
 
2     WHEREAS, Education has always been important to the
3 community; a one-room school house gave way to a two-room
4 building, a consolidated school complex, and then a separate
5 high school structure; when the Malta District was consolidated
6 with the communities of DeKalb and Cortland, the Paul T. Wright
7 Elementary School in Malta was born as an experiment for
8 educational and teaching excellence between the school
9 district and Northern Illinois University; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The community has also been home to Kishwaukee
11 Community College since 1968; the 120-acre campus attracts over
12 10,000 students to its programs; the college offers two-year
13 degrees in 37 areas, 64 career/occupational degrees and
14 certificates, and customized training; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Residents of Malta have long supported and taught
16 at nearby Northern Illinois University since its founding in
17 1895; the university is noted for excellence in teaching,
18 discovery and outreach; more than 25,000 students study there
19 and nearly 200,000 alumni call NIU their alma mater; therefore,
20 be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23 we congratulate the more than 1,400 residents of the Village
24 and Township of Malta on the occasion of the sesquicentennial
25 celebration; and be it further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to the Village of Malta as an expression of our
28 esteem and with our best wishes for the continuing success of
29 the village.