H.R. No. 427 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Because the cultural and economic development of 1-2 this state historically has been closely associated with the rise 1-3 of the cattle industry in the late nineteenth century, one of the 1-4 most enduring popular images of a typical Texan is often that of a 1-5 cowboy on a horse riding the range, tending cattle; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Although this image often has been romanticized and 1-7 mythologized, many of the elements that went into its creation were 1-8 the products of the hard work and long hours the cowboy had to 1-9 endure in real life; despite the myths and legends, the life of a 1-10 cowboy meant developing and perfecting a myriad of skills essential 1-11 in his daily work, which required mastery astride a horse or with 1-12 rope in hand; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Cowboys took great pride in honing their everyday 1-14 skills and often took advantage of their leisure hours to show off 1-15 these skills in friendly competition with their fellow ranch hands; 1-16 out of this desire to hone and display their hard-earned skills 1-17 evolved an institution that has endured to the present time, the 1-18 rodeo; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Many feats that make up the principal events of the 1-20 modern rodeo--bareback and saddle bronc riding, calf roping, bull 1-21 riding, steer wrestling, and single steer roping--were performed 1-22 originally not as a means of entertainment but as a part of the 1-23 work of a cattle roundup in the days of the open range cattle 1-24 industry; in fact, the word "rodeo" itself is derived from the 2-1 Spanish word for roundup; and 2-2 WHEREAS, On July 4, 1883, the foremen of several far West 2-3 Texas ranches in the vicinity of the Pecos staged a rodeo that soon 2-4 became a popular annual event among local ranch hands; what set 2-5 this particular event apart from previous rodeos was the fact that, 2-6 for the first time in history, cowboys competed for prizes as well 2-7 as for the approval and respect of their peers, thus setting the 2-8 stage for the subsequent rise of the rodeo as both a major popular 2-9 sport and a significant cultural phenomenon; and 2-10 WHEREAS, That event of 1883 in later years became known as 2-11 the West of the Pecos Rodeo and now is highly regarded as one of 2-12 the premier events in this uniquely American sport; having remained 2-13 true to its roots, the 110-year-old Pecos rodeo recently was voted 2-14 the top rodeo on the Texas circuit by members of the Professional 2-15 Rodeo Cowboys Association; and 2-16 WHEREAS, A cowboy extravaganza held over four days around the 2-17 Fourth of July each year, this grandfather of all rodeos remains 2-18 one of the most popular rodeos in the state for spectators and 2-19 contestants alike, drawing thousands of aficionados from across the 2-20 state and nation to the West Texas town of Pecos; and 2-21 WHEREAS, While other rodeos have followed suit and attained a 2-22 large measure of success on their own merits, they nevertheless owe 2-23 their existence to the success achieved by their illustrious 2-24 predecessor; widely recognized as the first event of its kind, the 2-25 West of the Pecos Rodeo deserves its acclaim as the oldest rodeo in 2-26 the world; now, therefore, be it 2-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 3-1 Legislature hereby recognize the West of the Pecos Rodeo as the 3-2 oldest rodeo in the world and honor the town of Pecos' claim to 3-3 being the Home of the World's First Rodeo; and, be it further 3-4 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-5 prepared for the city of Pecos as an expression of high esteem by 3-6 the Texas House of Representatives. 3-7 prepared for the city of Pecos as an expression of high esteem by 3-8 the Texas House of Representatives. 3-9 Rudd 3-10 H.R. No. 427 3-11 _______________________________ 3-12 Speaker of the House 3-13 I certify that H.R. No. 427 was adopted by the House on March 3-14 29, 1993, by a non-record vote. 3-15 _______________________________ 3-16 Chief Clerk of the House