By Denny                                                H.R. No. 11
         76R1200 WMS-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, On February 23, 1999, many proud residents of Denton
 1-2     County will gather in Austin to celebrate Denton County Day at the
 1-3     State Capitol; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Denton County was formed in 1846 out of Fannin
 1-5     County and was named after John Bunyan Denton, a Methodist preacher
 1-6     and lawyer; the new city of Denton, located near the center of the
 1-7     county, was designated the county seat in 1856; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, Bordered on the north by Cooke and Grayson counties,
 1-9     and on the south by Dallas and Tarrant counties, Denton County's
1-10     fertile and partly hilly terrain consists of soils of the Blackland
1-11     Prairie, Eastern Cross Timbers, and Grand Prairie; and
1-12           WHEREAS, Although the earliest settlers of Denton County
1-13     relied on subsistence farming, the arrival of the railroads in the
1-14     1880s drastically altered the type and quantity of crops produced,
1-15     from corn and vegetables to cotton and wheat, and during the late
1-16     19th and early 20th centuries, the county was the second leading
1-17     producer of wheat in the state; and
1-18           WHEREAS, Denton County has also benefited from a number of
1-19     other natural resources, including oil, sand, gravel, gas, and
1-20     clay, that have helped the citizenry to create a prosperous
1-21     business environment; and
1-22           WHEREAS, Among the county's many attractions are the State
1-23     DAR Museum, Little Chapel in the Woods, and the annual Denton
1-24     Jazzfest; and
 2-1           WHEREAS, Denton County has long been a center of education,
 2-2     and two exceptional institutions of higher learning, the University
 2-3     of North Texas and Texas Woman's University, are located in the
 2-4     city of Denton; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, The citizens of Denton County have played a major
 2-6     role in the development of the Lone Star State, and through their
 2-7     efforts they have created an ideal environment in which to live,
 2-8     work, and raise a family; it is indeed a great pleasure to join
 2-9     with our fellow Texans in saluting this extraordinary county at
2-10     this time; now, therefore, be it
2-11           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-12     Legislature hereby recognize February 23, 1999, as Denton County
2-13     Day at the State Capitol and commend the county's citizens for
2-14     their many significant contributions to our state; and, be it
2-15     further
2-16           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-17     prepared for the citizens of Denton County as an expression of high
2-18     regard by the Texas House of Representatives.