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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Wise County are visiting Austin on |
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March 7, 2023, to celebrate Wise County Day at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Located in the northwestern part of the state, Wise |
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County was established on January 23, 1856; the county was carved |
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out of Cooke County by legislative act and named in honor of Henry |
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A. Wise, a U.S. congressman from Virginia who had supported the |
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annexation of Texas; at the same time as it created Wise County, the |
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legislature decreed that its county seat be established within five |
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miles of the county's center, and two years later that new community |
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became known as Decatur, after the naval hero Stephen Decatur; and |
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WHEREAS, The eastern fork of the Chisholm Trail passed near |
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Decatur during the latter half of the 19th century, and the town |
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prospered as a shipping point and market for local farmers; today, |
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it is a center for natural gas production, specialty carbon and |
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graphite manufacturing, and health care, as well as marketing and |
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processing for area agribusiness; and |
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WHEREAS, Decatur is also home to some of the best |
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professional rodeo cowboys and bull riders in the world; the many |
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champions who have lived or trained in the community include one of |
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the most decorated rodeo cowboys of all time, Trevor Brazile, as |
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well as Tuf Cooper and Texas Rodeo Hall of Famer Roy Cooper, both of |
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the famed Cooper family; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors to Wise County are drawn by such historic |
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attractions as the Waggoner Mansion, the Wise County Heritage |
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Museum, the Wise County Veterans Park, and the pink granite Wise |
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County Courthouse, which was completed in 1896; the county also |
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offers a variety of recreational opportunities at Lake Bridgeport, |
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Eagle Mountain Lake, and the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson National |
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Grasslands; in addition, area residents commemorate their heritage |
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with the annual Butterfield Stage Days Festival in May, the Wise |
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County Old Settlers Reunion in July, and the Chisholm Trail Days and |
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Western Heritage Festival in August; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their history as they embrace the |
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opportunities of the future, the citizens of Wise County take great |
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pride in their community, and it is indeed fitting to honor their |
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unique contributions to the story of the Lone Star State; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize March 7, 2023, as Wise County Day at the State |
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Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting delegation. |