By Ramsay                                            H.C.R. No. 190

         75R10794 SAJ-F                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, April 7, 1997, is Wood County Day at the State

 1-2     Capitol, and the Texas Legislature is pleased to join the citizens

 1-3     of Wood County in honoring their county's important contributions

 1-4     to our state; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of

 1-6     the pine belt, Wood County was created and organized from Van Zandt

 1-7     County in 1850 and named for Governor George T. Wood; hilly and

 1-8     heavily forested with sandy and alluvial soils, the county is

 1-9     drained by the Sabine River and its tributaries; and

1-10           WHEREAS, Before Anglo-American civilization, the area was

1-11     home to the Caddo Indians; by the 1820s and 1830s settlers began

1-12     arriving, and in 1845 the village of Webster was established; the

1-13     early arrivals were planters, but because it was difficult to

1-14     transport cotton, ranching became the first profitable industry;

1-15     and

1-16           WHEREAS, Railroads came to the area in the 1870s and 1880s

1-17     bringing a growing population as well as increasing the area's

1-18     lumber industry; specialized farming became a major industry after

1-19     a sweet potato curing plant was established in 1913, and Christmas

1-20     trees, hay, watermelons, poultry, and dairy products were soon

1-21     added to the list of commodities being produced in the county;

1-22     Jarvis Christian College was founded in Hawkins in 1912, and the

1-23     discovery of oil near that community in 1940 brought still another

1-24     lucrative business to the region; and

 2-1           WHEREAS, This beautiful area of the state is one of the

 2-2     showplaces of East Texas and is best known as a recreational and

 2-3     retirement county; nicknamed "Lake Country" for the numerous

 2-4     aquatic recreational facilities in the county, Wood County attracts

 2-5     sportsmen from all over the world; the gigantic Lake Fork Reservoir

 2-6     is known as the "Best Big Bass Lake in the State" and the state

 2-7     record largemouth bass was pulled from its waters in 1993; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, The residents of Wood County are a lively and

 2-9     industrious people who are proud of their county's natural beauty

2-10     and in their own accomplishments in developing communities that

2-11     offer residents a wonderful place to live; and

2-12           WHEREAS, These communities host year-round festivities

2-13     honoring the county's heritage, crops, resources, and foliage;

2-14     following the seasons, the festivals include the Quitman Dogwood

2-15     Fiesta in March as well as the Hawkins Pancake Festival, the Spring

2-16     Trails in Winnsboro, Mineola May Days Bean Festival, Fourth of July

2-17     FreedomFest in Mineola, Sweet Potato Festival in Golden, Old

2-18     Settlers Reunion in August, Oil Festival in Hawkins in October,

2-19     Mineola's Dickens in the Pines Christmas, and the Winter Trails

2-20     Christmas Parade in Winnsboro; and

2-21           WHEREAS, Governor Hogg Shrine State Park in Quitman recalls

2-22     local and state history; it is named for the first native-born

2-23     governor of Texas, James Stephen Hogg, who did much to strengthen

2-24     public respect for law enforcement in the state and established the

2-25     Texas Railroad Commission to enforce state antitrust laws and

2-26     promote fair business practices; and

2-27           WHEREAS, Wood County Day is an appropriate occasion for the

 3-1     Texas Legislature to recognize the county and its residents by

 3-2     commending them for their notable achievements; now, therefore, be

 3-3     it

 3-4           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 3-5     hereby declare April 7, 1997, as Wood County Day at the State

 3-6     Capitol and join its citizens as they celebrate their county's

 3-7     greatness; and, be it further

 3-8           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

 3-9     prepared for Wood County as an expression of the admiration and

3-10     appreciation of the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.