By: Sibley S.R. No. 624 1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-2 WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 4, 1995, has been selected by the 1-3 citizens of Erath County, Texas, as a special day to gather at the 1-4 State Capitol and to celebrate and recognize the contributions of 1-5 that county to the history of our great state; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Erath County, located in West Central Texas, was 1-7 created in 1855 from a land patent awarded to the heirs of 1-8 John Blair for his service to the Republic of Texas at the Alamo 1-9 in 1836; the heirs of John Blair later conveyed 3,127 acres of that 1-10 patent to John M. Stephen, for whom Stephenville was named, and he 1-11 contracted the services of George B. Erath, a surveyor, for whom 1-12 the county was named; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1992, Erath County was ranked as the fifth best 1-14 county among 205 rural counties in the state for economic 1-15 development for the previous five years, according to a state 1-16 report released by the Texas state comptroller in March of that 1-17 year; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Stephenville, the county seat of Erath County, was 1-19 listed as one of the 100 best small towns in America in a book 1-20 compiled by Norman Crampton and published by Prentice-Hall in 1993; 1-21 and 1-22 WHEREAS, It is claimed by some that Dublin, the second largest 1-23 community in Erath County, was named for the tradition of "doubling 2-1 in" the wagons during Indian raids; others claim it was named after 2-2 the stagecoach stop called The Double-Inn; each year, Erath County 2-3 citizens proudly boast of their ties to the capital city of Ireland 2-4 by celebrating Saint Patrick's Day; Dublin is the home of the oldest 2-5 Dr Pepper bottling plant in the world; the plant opened in 1891 and 2-6 is now the only plant that markets the original Dr Pepper formula; 2-7 and 2-8 WHEREAS, Erath County has a strong, diversified economic base; 2-9 agriculture is the leading industry, and the county is recognized 2-10 as the number one dairy county in the State of Texas; and 2-11 WHEREAS, Erath County, known as the "Cowboy Capital of the 2-12 Nation," is the home of a number of world class rodeo athletes, 2-13 including Ty Murray, who won his sixth consecutive National 2-14 Championship All-Around Cowboy title at the 1994 National Finals 2-15 Rodeo; and 2-16 WHEREAS, Erath County is also the proud home of 2-17 Tarleton State University, which was founded in 1899 2-18 through a bequest by John Tarleton, a pioneer Erath County 2-19 citizen; a member of The Texas A&M University System, 2-20 Tarleton State University now has an enrollment of over 6,400 2-21 students and has four undergraduate colleges and one graduate 2-22 college; and 2-23 WHEREAS, Erath County is justifiably proud of its history, 2-24 its culture, its citizens, and its contributions to the growth 2-25 and development of the great State of Texas; and 3-1 WHEREAS, This special day is an appropriate occasion for 3-2 the Texas Senate to recognize the citizens of Erath County and 3-3 to commend them for their notable achievements; now, therefore, 3-4 be it 3-5 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-6 74th Legislature, hereby declare April 4, 1995, as Erath County Day 3-7 at the State Capitol and join with its residents as they celebrate 3-8 their county's many assets; and, be it further 3-9 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the 3-10 citizens of Erath County as an expression of recognition and 3-11 appreciation from the Texas Senate. 3-12 ______________________________________ 3-13 President of the Senate 3-14 I hereby certify that the above 3-15 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 3-16 on April 4, 1995. 3-17 ______________________________________ 3-18 Secretary of the Senate 3-19 ______________________________________ 3-20 Member, Texas Senate