By Place H.R. No. 265 75R7843 WMS-F R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, March 3, 1997, has been selected by the citizens of 1-2 Erath County as a special day to gather at the State Capitol to 1-3 celebrate and recognize the contributions citizens of that fine 1-4 county have made to the history and prosperity of our great state; 1-5 and 1-6 WHEREAS, Located in West Central Texas, Erath County was 1-7 created in 1855 from land awarded to the heirs of John Blair for 1-8 his outstanding service to the Republic of Texas at the Alamo in 1-9 1836; they later conveyed a portion of the land to John M. Stephen, 1-10 for whom the city of Stephenville was named, and he contracted the 1-11 services of the county's namesake, surveyor George B. Erath; and 1-12 WHEREAS, The pioneering spirit of Erath County's earliest 1-13 residents is reflected today in the area's vibrant and energetic 1-14 atmosphere; in 1992, the state comptroller of public accounts 1-15 ranked the county fifth in economic development among the state's 1-16 205 rural counties for the previous five-year period and the county 1-17 seat of Stephenville was listed as one of the 100 best small towns 1-18 in America in a 1993 book compiled by Norman Crampton and published 1-19 by Prentice-Hall; and 1-20 WHEREAS, The citizens of Stephenville take special pride in 1-21 the Stephenville High School football team, which won the 1993 and 1-22 1994 Class 4A state championships, during which time it amassed a 1-23 formidable record of 32 wins and no defeats; and 1-24 WHEREAS, Dublin, the county's second-largest community, is 2-1 renowned as the location of the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in 2-2 the world; at the time of its opening in 1891, this historic 2-3 facility was the first Dr Pepper franchise, and it is now the only 2-4 plant that markets the original Dr Pepper formula; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Erath County has a strong and diversified economy 2-6 that is based largely on the production of agricultural products 2-7 and it has earned recognition as the number one dairy county in the 2-8 State of Texas; and 2-9 WHEREAS, Further recognized as the "Cowboy Capital of the 2-10 Nation," Erath County has earned that distinction by being home to 2-11 a number of world-class rodeo athletes, including Ty Murray, who 2-12 won his sixth consecutive National Championship All-Around Cowboy 2-13 title at the 1994 National Finals Rodeo; and 2-14 WHEREAS, The county is also the site of Tarleton State 2-15 University, which was founded in 1899 through a bequest by pioneer 2-16 John Tarleton; the school, which currently boasts four 2-17 undergraduate colleges and one graduate college, continues to 2-18 flourish today with an enrollment of more than 6,400 students as a 2-19 member of the Texas A&M University System; and 2-20 WHEREAS, The citizens of Erath County are justifiably proud 2-21 of their county's history, culture, and myriad contributions to the 2-22 growth and development of the Lone Star State, and it gives the 2-23 members of this chamber great pleasure to join with their fellow 2-24 citizens in saluting this fine Texas county; now, therefore, be it 2-25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 2-26 Legislature hereby recognize March 3, 1997, as Erath County Day at 2-27 the State Capitol and extend best wishes to its citizenry on this 3-1 noteworthy occasion; and, be it further 3-2 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-3 prepared for the citizens of Erath County as an expression of high 3-4 regard by the Texas House of Representatives.