By West H.C.R. No. 206 75R11811 JTR-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Texas is known throughout the world for the 1-2 abundance and variety of its wildlife, and of the many species of 1-3 animal that populate the state, Lepus californicus texianus, better 1-4 known as the black-tailed jackrabbit, is one of the most 1-5 distinctive; indigenous to the West Texas plains, this member of 1-6 the hare family is known by its dark tail and ear markings, its 1-7 fleetness of foot, and its voracious appetite for vegetation; and 1-8 WHEREAS, The city of Odessa's association with this hardy 1-9 native Texan stretches back in history to the community's origins 1-10 and beyond; valued as a source of nourishment by the Native 1-11 Americans who were the area's first inhabitants, the jackrabbit was 1-12 less popular with later settlers, whose livestock competed with the 1-13 smaller animal for the region's scarce forage; and 1-14 WHEREAS, The prolific prairie hare's predations eventually 1-15 invited official opposition, and for many years area residents 1-16 could augment their incomes by hunting down the whiskered outlaws, 1-17 producing pelts as proof of dispatched desperados; and 1-18 WHEREAS, The tradition of rabbit rustling culminated in 1932 1-19 at the Odessa rodeo, when the first jackrabbit wrangling event took 1-20 place, and local history was made later that year when Grace 1-21 Hendricks roped a rabbit from horseback in five seconds, a 1-22 remarkable record that stands to this day; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Odessa's identification with the jackrabbit was 1-24 permanently memorialized in 1965, when a statue of "The World's 2-1 Largest Jackrabbit" was unveiled; nicknamed "Jack Ben Rabbit" after 2-2 its foremost advocate, John Ben Shepperd, the monument remains 2-3 today as a reminder of the city's close connections with this 2-4 denizen of the desert; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Although rancher-rabbit relations have sometimes 2-6 been less than cordial, West Texans have always acknowledged the 2-7 jackrabbit's stature as a mainstay of the region's environment and 2-8 culture, and in paying sincere tribute to this noble animal, the 2-9 people of Odessa have established their hometown as the 2-10 jackrabbit's spiritual home; now, therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-12 hereby designate Odessa as the Jackrabbit Capital of Texas; and, be 2-13 it further 2-14 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-15 prepared for display in the city of Odessa as an expression of high 2-16 regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.