By Oakley                                              H.R. No. 423
       74R8635 SRD-F
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Since the founding of the first permanent settlement
    1-2  in Kaufman County more than 150 years ago, the citizens of the area
    1-3  have exemplified the independent and industrious spirit of Texas;
    1-4  and
    1-5        WHEREAS, The history of this Northeast Texas community dates
    1-6  back to the days of the Republic of Texas when Dr. William P. King
    1-7  established the first permanent settlement on the upper Blackland
    1-8  Prairie; overlooking a broad fertile valley, this settlement, known
    1-9  as King's Fort and later Kingsborough, became the nucleus of the
   1-10  thriving agricultural community we know today as Kaufman County;
   1-11  and
   1-12        WHEREAS, By 1843, the area around King's Fort had begun to
   1-13  attract other settlers in sufficient numbers that the old garrison,
   1-14  renamed Kingsborough, became the hub of activity for the rapidly
   1-15  growing territory; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, Within a decade, growth in the territory had
   1-17  warranted its political organization, and in 1848 a rising young
   1-18  political figure named John H. Reagan introduced a bill in the
   1-19  Texas Legislature creating this new county, which was named in
   1-20  honor of another prominent Texas statesman, David S. Kaufman; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, In an election held in March 1851, the residents of
   1-22  Kaufman County selected the town of Kingsborough, which occupied
   1-23  the county's approximate geographic center, as the new county seat;
   1-24  in November of that year, the activities of county government were
    2-1  moved to the county seat, which by then had been renamed Kaufman;
    2-2  and
    2-3        WHEREAS, In December 1885, the county commissioners voted to
    2-4  build a new county courthouse that would adequately reflect the
    2-5  community's confidence in its continued growth and prosperity;
    2-6  standing for over 70 years, this venerable stone courthouse not
    2-7  only served Kaufman County but came to symbolize the community's
    2-8  stability and enduring social values; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, In 1955, a modern courthouse was erected in Kaufman,
   2-10  ushering in a new era of growth for the community as the local
   2-11  economy began to diversify from its traditional agricultural base;
   2-12  and
   2-13        WHEREAS, While still retaining its agricultural economy,
   2-14  Kaufman County currently is reaping the benefits of broadened
   2-15  economic development, including an influx of manufacturing and
   2-16  trade industries; and
   2-17        WHEREAS, Part of the Dallas Standard Metropolitan Statistical
   2-18  Area, Kaufman County offers its residents the best of the two
   2-19  worlds; its residents enjoy many of the amenities afforded by one
   2-20  of the nation's major cities while they retain their identity as a
   2-21  close-knit, family-oriented community in the finest traditions of
   2-22  Texas' rural past; and
   2-23        WHEREAS, Rich in history and tradition, Kaufman County is a
   2-24  prosperous, forward-looking community fully participating in the
   2-25  state's dynamic growth, and it gives the members of this
   2-26  legislative body great pleasure to join our fellow citizens in
   2-27  saluting this fine Texas community; now, therefore, be it
    3-1        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
    3-2  Legislature hereby declare April 3, 1995, Kaufman County Day at the
    3-3  Capitol and extend best wishes to all of its citizens on this
    3-4  noteworthy occasion.