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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Gregg County are marking the |
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150th anniversary of their county's founding on April 1, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated in the East Texas timberlands along the |
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Sabine River, Gregg County was originally inhabited by the Caddo |
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people and later by the Cherokee people; after Texas achieved |
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statehood in 1845, farmers from the southern United States settled |
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in the area, and throughout the 1870s, the Southern Pacific |
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Railroad, the International Railroad, and the Texas & Pacific |
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Railroad established Longview, Kilgore, and Gladewater, which |
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became prosperous communities; in 1873, the 13th Texas Legislature |
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passed a bill creating a new county from parts of Upshur and Rusk |
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Counties, with Longview as the county seat; and |
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WHEREAS, Cotton and timber were mainstays of the Gregg County |
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economy, and the discovery of the East Texas oilfield in 1931 |
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brought new industry to the area; by 1935, there were approximately |
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15,000 wells and 95 refineries in the field, and the population had |
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grown from more than 16,700 in 1920 to just over 58,000 in 1940; the |
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oil boom prompted a multitude of civic improvements, including the |
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addition of a jail and courthouse in Longview and the creation of |
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Kilgore College, as well as the construction of a county hospital, a |
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highway, and numerous schools; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Gregg County continues to thrive as a center |
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for oil production, manufacturing, and agriculture, and residents |
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and visitors alike flock to such attractions as the Great Texas |
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Balloon Race, the Gregg County Fair, and the Texas Shakespeare |
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Festival; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich history as they work together |
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to build an even brighter future, the people of Gregg County may |
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indeed take great pride in the role their community continues to |
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play in the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gregg |
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County and extend to the county's residents sincere best wishes for |
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the future. |