Senate Resolution 48 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                       BY  RIELLY
  1  3 A Resolution honoring Iowa's Amana Colonies on its
  1  4    sesquicentennial.
  1  5    WHEREAS, the Community of True Inspiration grew out
  1  6 of the German Lutheran Church in the early 18th
  1  7 century, with some 800 members of this movement coming
  1  8 to the United States in 1842; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, the group purchased 18,000 acres in the
  1 10 then=fledgling State of Iowa, creating the Community
  1 11 of True Inspiration (the Amana Society) in 1855; and
  1 12    WHEREAS, the inspirationists called their new home
  1 13 "Amana", a word taken from the Old Testament Song of
  1 14 Solomon, meaning "to remain faithful"; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, a strong commitment to church discipline
  1 16 and close community relationships caused the
  1 17 inspirationists to adopt a communal way of life, while
  1 18 at the same time embracing industry and economic
  1 19 development; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, by the 1860s the Amana Colonies consisted
  1 21 of over 20,000 acres of land on which seven villages
  1 22 were established:  the original village of Amana, West
  1 23 Amana, South Amana, High Amana, East Amana, Middle
  1 24 Amana, and Homestead; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, with its combination of spiritual devotion
  1 26 and industry, the Amana Colonies quickly became an
  1 27 agricultural, commercial, and manufacturing center;
  1 28 and
  1 29    WHEREAS, in 1932 the members separated the
  1 30 spiritual role of the colonies from its secular
  2  1 activity by creating the Amana Society, Incorporated,
  2  2 to operate the colony business enterprises; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, today, the Amana Society, Inc., owns and
  2  4 manages some 26,000 acres of farm, pasture, and forest
  2  5 land and manages a variety of business enterprises,
  2  6 while the Amana Church continues to be a vital part of
  2  7 the Amana community; and
  2  8    WHEREAS, the Amana Colonies today is one of Iowa's
  2  9 preeminent tourist destinations, offering unique
  2 10 scenic, historical, dining, and shopping
  2 11 opportunities; and
  2 12    WHEREAS, the Amana Colonies is celebrating its
  2 13 150th anniversary with a variety of celebrations and
  2 14 events lasting through September 2005; NOW THEREFORE,
  2 15    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  2 16 congratulates the people of the Amana Colonies on its
  2 17 sesquicentennial and notes its unique place in Iowa's
  2 18 history; and
  2 19    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the
  2 20 Senate invites all Iowans to visit the Amana Colonies
  2 21 during the sesquicentennial celebrations and
  2 22 experience this truly remarkable part of Iowa.
  2 23 LSB 3639SS 81
  2 24 jr:nh/pj/5