H.R. No. 199
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Residents of San Patricio County are gathering in
  Austin on March 23, 2023, to celebrate San Patricio County Day at
  the State Capitol; and
         WHEREAS, Situated on the broad coastal plain along the Gulf
  of Mexico, this region was originally inhabited by the Karankawa
  Indians; in 1829, 200 Irish families from New York formed a colony
  under a contract with the government of Mexico and founded the town
  of San Patricio de Hibernia, in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron
  saint of Ireland; the town was the site of a battle during the Texas
  Revolution in 1836, and later that same year, San Patricio County
  was created by the new Republic of Texas; and
         WHEREAS, By 1860, San Patricio County was occupied by
  ranchers and farmers, and during the Civil War, a Confederate fort
  was built at Aransas Pass to deal with smugglers, rustlers, and
  Federal raiders; the county's economy was boosted in 1885 when the
  San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was extended to Aransas
  Harbor; the town of Sinton, named after an Ohio banker who had
  invested in the area's development, was designated as the county
  seat in 1893; and
         WHEREAS, Oil and gas were discovered in the county in the
  early 20th century, and the petroleum industry and agriculture
  continue to be the foundation of the economy; cotton, sorghum, and
  cattle are all major products, along with shrimp from the
  commercial fisheries along the coast; the completion of a major
  dredging and expansion project at the La Quinta Ship Channel has
  increased opportunities for strategic international business
  partnerships, and in recent years, foreign and domestic companies
  have invested billions of dollars in the county's industrial
  sector; and
         WHEREAS, Today, the people of San Patricio County enjoy a
  relaxed rural lifestyle while taking advantage of their proximity
  to the city of Corpus Christi; hunters, birders, kayakers,
  snorkelers, and devotees of sport fishing travel to the county for
  its many opportunities for recreation; the county is also home to
  the Welder Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest privately endowed
  refuges in the world; and
         WHEREAS, Celebrating their colorful past as they work to
  build an even brighter future, those Texans who call San Patricio
  County home may indeed take great pride in the important role their
  unique region plays in the story of the Lone Star State; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize March 23, 2023, as San Patricio County
  Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting
  delegation.
 
  Lozano
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 199 was adopted by the House on March
  8, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not
  voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House