By Place H.R. No. 537 74R9461 SAJ-F R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to join 1-2 the citizens of Erath County in the joyous celebration of Erath 1-3 County Day at the Capitol on April 4, 1995; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Located in West Central Texas, the county was 1-5 created in 1855 out of a land patent that was awarded to the heirs 1-6 of John Blair for his outstanding service at the Battle of the 1-7 Alamo; his heirs later conveyed a portion of the land to John M. 1-8 Stephen, for whom the city of Stephenville was named, and he 1-9 contracted the services of the county's namesake, noted surveyor 1-10 George B. Erath; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Its prime location has helped the county to 1-12 flourish, and it continues to contribute greatly to the state's 1-13 economic prosperity; the county enjoys a strong and diversified 1-14 economic base, with agriculture as its leading industry, and it is 1-15 recognized as the top dairy county in the state; and 1-16 WHEREAS, In 1992, the state comptroller of public accounts 1-17 ranked Erath County as one of the top five rural counties in Texas 1-18 for its economic development over a five-year period, and the city 1-19 of Stephenville, its county seat, was listed as one of the 100 best 1-20 small towns in America in a book recently compiled by Norman 1-21 Crampton; and 1-22 WHEREAS, The county also is proud to host one of the region's 1-23 outstanding institutions of higher education, Tarleton State 1-24 University, which was founded in 1899 through a bequest by pioneer 2-1 citizen John Tarleton; the school continues to flourish today as a 2-2 member of The Texas A&M University System; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Erath County enjoys a rich cultural heritage and 2-4 unique folklore; some claim that Dublin, its second largest 2-5 community, was named for the practice of "doubling in" the wagons 2-6 during Indian raids, while others say it was named for a popular 2-7 stagecoach stop, the Double-Inn; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Every March, the community proudly boasts of its 2-9 ties to the capital city of Ireland with its jubilant St. Patrick's 2-10 Day celebration; Dublin also has earned renown as the site of the 2-11 oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in the world, which is the only 2-12 facility that currently markets the original Dr Pepper formula; and 2-13 WHEREAS, Recognized as the "Cowboy Capital of the Nation," 2-14 Erath County earned that distinction by being home to a number of 2-15 world-class rodeo athletes, including Ty Murray, who won his sixth 2-16 consecutive National Championship All-Around Cowboy title at the 2-17 1994 National Finals Rodeo; and 2-18 WHEREAS, Rich in culture and tradition, Erath County is a 2-19 prosperous, forward-looking region and a leading participant in the 2-20 state's dynamic growth, and it gives the members of this chamber 2-21 great pleasure to join with our fellow citizens in saluting this 2-22 fine Texas county; now, therefore, be it 2-23 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-24 Legislature hereby designate April 4, 1995, as Erath County Day at 2-25 the Capitol and extend best wishes to all its citizens on this 2-26 noteworthy occasion; and, be it further 2-27 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-1 prepared for the citizens of Erath County as an expression of high 3-2 regard by the Texas House of Representatives.