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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of San Patricio County are gathering in |
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Austin on March 23, 2023, to celebrate San Patricio County Day at |
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the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated on the broad coastal plain along the Gulf |
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of Mexico, this region was originally inhabited by the Karankawa |
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Indians; in 1829, 200 Irish families from New York formed a colony |
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under a contract with the government of Mexico and founded the town |
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of San Patricio de Hibernia, in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron |
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saint of Ireland; the town was the site of a battle during the Texas |
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Revolution in 1836, and later that same year, San Patricio County |
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was created by the new Republic of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, By 1860, San Patricio County was occupied by |
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ranchers and farmers, and during the Civil War, a Confederate fort |
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was built at Aransas Pass to deal with smugglers, rustlers, and |
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Federal raiders; the county's economy was boosted in 1885 when the |
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San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was extended to Aransas |
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Harbor; the town of Sinton, named after an Ohio banker who had |
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invested in the area's development, was designated as the county |
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seat in 1893; and |
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WHEREAS, Oil and gas were discovered in the county in the |
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early 20th century, and the petroleum industry and agriculture |
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continue to be the foundation of the economy; cotton, sorghum, and |
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cattle are all major products, along with shrimp from the |
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commercial fisheries along the coast; the completion of a major |
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dredging and expansion project at the La Quinta Ship Channel has |
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increased opportunities for strategic international business |
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partnerships, and in recent years, foreign and domestic companies |
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have invested billions of dollars in the county's industrial |
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sector; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the people of San Patricio County enjoy a |
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relaxed rural lifestyle while taking advantage of their proximity |
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to the city of Corpus Christi; hunters, birders, kayakers, |
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snorkelers, and devotees of sport fishing travel to the county for |
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its many opportunities for recreation; the county is also home to |
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the Welder Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest privately endowed |
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refuges in the world; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their colorful past as they work to |
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build an even brighter future, those Texans who call San Patricio |
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County home may indeed take great pride in the important role their |
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unique region plays in the story of the Lone Star State; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 23, 2023, as San Patricio County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting |
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delegation. |