By:  Armbrister                                        S.R. No. 185
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride
    1-3  in recognizing the Bicentennial of the founding of the Mission
    1-4  Nuestra Senora del Refugio, the last Spanish mission established
    1-5  in Texas; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Founded in 1795 by Father Manuel Silva, the
    1-7  Mission Nuestra Senora del Refugio was part of an attempt to
    1-8  Christianize the Karankawa Indian tribes of the Texas Coastal
    1-9  Bend; the location for the mission was on a high spot of a
   1-10  prairie within the limits of Rancho de Santa Gertrudis; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, During the decade of 1820-1830, the mission was
   1-12  abandoned and eventually fell into ruin, but the town of Refugio
   1-13  and Refugio County would one day arise from the very stones which
   1-14  originally formed the mission's walls; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, In 1834, Irish immigrants from Ballygarrett,
   1-16  County Wexford, under the leadership of Empresarios James Power
   1-17  and James Hewetson, arrived at the mission site after a difficult
   1-18  voyage of danger and tragedy; the immigrants carted away the
   1-19  stones from the dilapidated walls of the old mission to be used
   1-20  for the foundations of homes, garden enclosures, and cisterns;
   1-21  and
   1-22        WHEREAS, An intriguing historical site today, the town
   1-23  of Refugio is a tribute to the mission's founder and to the Irish
    2-1  immigrants who used the mission's scattered remains to build a
    2-2  town; and
    2-3        WHEREAS, In memory of the mission and in honor of the
    2-4  Irish immigrants who founded Refugio and as part of a Saint
    2-5  Patrick's Day celebration, a mass will be held at Our Lady of
    2-6  Refugio Church on Friday, March 17, 1995; now, therefore, be it
    2-7        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
    2-8  74th Legislature, hereby extend best wishes to the citizens
    2-9  of Refugio on the Bicentennial of the founding of the Mission
   2-10  Nuestra Senora del Refugio and on their Saint Patrick's Day
   2-11  celebration; and, be it further
   2-12        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-13  the town of Refugio in honor of its founders and in memory of
   2-14  its mission.
   2-15                               ______________________________________
   2-16                                       President of the Senate
   2-17                                    I hereby certify that the above
   2-18                               Resolution was adopted by the Senate
   2-19                               on February 13, 1995.
   2-20                               ______________________________________
   2-21                                       Secretary of the Senate
   2-22                               ______________________________________
   2-23                                        Member, Texas Senate