R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, On February 4, 1999, the Texas House of
1-2 Representatives will join the proud residents of Jim Wells County
1-3 in paying tribute to one of our state's richest economic and
1-4 cultural centers; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Jim Wells County and its county seat, Alice, are set
1-6 deep in the heart of South Texas; the broad plains of rich soil
1-7 that make up the area's geography are a patchwork of grassland and
1-8 mesquite, post oak and live oak thickets, and cactus, and nearly
1-9 half of the county is rated as prime farmland; and
1-10 WHEREAS, Some of the earliest inhabitants of this region
1-11 included Native American tribes such as the Chaguanes and
1-12 Payuguans, who were drawn by the mild winters and abundant game;
1-13 their pottery and stone tools can still be found, and deer,
1-14 javelina, turkey, and quail still haunt the oak stands and creek
1-15 banks; and
1-16 WHEREAS, In 1746, Spanish colonel Jose de Escandon was
1-17 commissioned to explore and colonize the part of New Spain that
1-18 stretched from Tampico in the south to the San Antonio River in the
1-19 north, and this included the future Jim Wells County; his
1-20 colonists, soldiers, and vaqueros long ago initiated the settlement
1-21 and ranching traditions that still define the area, and today in
1-22 Alice there is a monument to this early Lone Star hero, the "Father
1-23 of South Texas"; and
1-24 WHEREAS, Through the tumultuous years of competing claims
2-1 between the Spanish and a young Republic of Texas, borders and
2-2 their allegiances swayed as easily as the plains grasses, but with
2-3 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 the future of South Texas
2-4 and Jim Wells County was firmly and successfully shaped; and
2-5 WHEREAS, Fueled by the beef market, the economy of the county
2-6 boomed in the years after the Civil War and the population
2-7 increased as well; Alice was the busiest shipping point for cattle
2-8 in South Texas, and the citizens' growing influence spurred demands
2-9 for more centralized representation, resulting in the formal
2-10 organization of Jim Wells County in 1912; and
2-11 WHEREAS, Cattle are still a major force in the region's
2-12 economy, aided by cotton and sorghum, watermelons, grapefruit, and
2-13 oranges; the discovery of huge oil and natural gas reservoirs in
2-14 1931 begat tremendous growth, and Jim Wells County is one of the
2-15 all-time leaders in oil production among Texas counties; and
2-16 WHEREAS, Because of its strategic location on the primary
2-17 trade route between the United States and Mexico, the county has
2-18 become a major point of international trade; the
2-19 soon-to-be-completed U.S. Highway 281 Relief Route, a component of
2-20 the federal I-69 International Trade Corridor, and the planned
2-21 State Highway 44 Relief Route, designated in 1998 as one of 10 High
2-22 Priority Corridors by the Texas Department of Transportation, will
2-23 certainly reinforce the area's prominence; and
2-24 WHEREAS, Residents of Jim Wells County are equally committed
2-25 to quality of life issues, including education and health care, and
2-26 in mid-summer of 1999 two new health facilities will be opened: the
2-27 Alice Regional Hospital and the Christus Spohn Hospital-Alice; and
3-1 WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County have played an
3-2 important role in Texas' economic and cultural history, and their
3-3 many outstanding contributions to the Lone Star State are indeed
3-4 worthy of special legislative recognition; now, therefore, be it
3-5 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-6 Legislature hereby welcome the visiting delegates from Jim Wells
3-7 County and declare February 4, 1999, as Jim Wells County Day at the
3-8 State Capitol and that the members join with the many residents of
3-9 the area in paying tribute to one of the state's finest counties;
3-10 and, be it further
3-11 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-12 prepared for prominent display in Jim Wells County as a
3-13 commemoration of this occasion and as an expression of high regard
3-14 by the Texas House of Representatives.
Salinas
Laney Glaze Moreno of El Paso
Alexander Goodman Morrison
Allen Goolsby Mowery
Alvarado Gray Naishtat
Averitt Green Najera
Bailey Greenberg Nixon
Berman Grusendorf Noriega
Bonnen Gutierrez Oliveira
Bosse Haggerty Olivo
Brimer Hamric Palmer
Brown of Kaufman Hardcastle Pickett
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Pitts
Burnam Hawley Puente
Capelo Heflin Ramsay
Carter Hilbert Rangel
Chavez Hilderbran Reyna of Bexar
Chisum Hill Reyna of Dallas
Christian Hinojosa Ritter
Clark Hochberg Sadler
Coleman Hodge Salinas
Cook Homer Seaman
Corte Hope Shields
Counts Howard Siebert
Crabb Hunter Smith
Craddick Hupp Smithee
Crownover Isett Solis of Cameron
Cuellar Janek Solis of Bexar
Culberson Jones of Brazos Solomons
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Staples
Davis of Harris Jones of Dallas Swinford
Davis of Dallas Junell Talton
Delisi Keel Telford
Denny Keffer Thompson
Deshotel King of Parker Tillery
Driver King of Uvalde Truitt
Dukes Krusee Turner of Coleman
Dunnam Kuempel Turner of Harris
Dutton Lengefeld Uher
Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Van de Putte
Eiland Longoria Walker
Elkins Luna West
Ellis McCall Williams
Farabee McClendon Wilson
Farrar McReynolds Wise
Flores Madden Wohlgemuth
Gallego Marchant Wolens
Garcia Maxey Woolley
George Merritt Yarbrough
Giddings Moreno of Harris Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 87 was adopted by the House on
February 4, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House