R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, On March 3, 1999, many proud residents of the city
1-2 of Corsicana and Navarro County will gather in Austin to celebrate
1-3 Corsicana/Navarro County Day at the State Capitol, and this festive
1-4 event provides a fitting opportunity to extol the area's many
1-5 virtues; and
1-6 WHEREAS, Navarro County encompasses more than 1,000 square
1-7 miles of gently rolling prairie and woodland and is a rich
1-8 repository of both abundant natural resources and colorful Texas
1-9 history; originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including
1-10 Iones, Kickapoos, and Comanches, the county was founded in 1846,
1-11 and the cotton, tobacco, and produce crops that covered the area
1-12 quickly established it as a center for agricultural trade; and
1-13 WHEREAS, In 1894, while drilling for water, city workers in
1-14 Corsicana accidently struck Texas crude, and petroleum replaced
1-15 peaches and pecans as the region's preeminent export; since that
1-16 time, manufacturing, construction, and food processing have also
1-17 taken their places as mainstays of the local economy, and the
1-18 area's many attributes continue to attract new industry and
1-19 investment; and
1-20 WHEREAS, Residents of Navarro County revel in their
1-21 multifaceted cultural heritage, and this appreciation of their
1-22 roots is reflected in such area attractions as Corsicana's Pioneer
1-23 Village, a historical re-creation of a 19th-century town; the
1-24 Gaston C. Gooch Library, which houses a collection of more than
2-1 44,000 pieces of Native American art that is among the finest of
2-2 its kind; and the Lefty Frizzell Country Music Museum, dedicated to
2-3 the life and art of local hero and country music legend Lefty
2-4 Frizzell; and
2-5 WHEREAS, The region is also a sportsman's paradise, boasting
2-6 outstanding fishing and boating on Richland-Chambers Lake and
2-7 Navarro Mills Lake, while less athletically inclined visitors may
2-8 sample the internationally famous Corsicana fruitcake that has been
2-9 the pride of Collin Street Bakery for more than a century and is
2-10 the only fruitcake ever to have been granted the prestigious
2-11 Culinary Merit Award by the Gourmet Society of New York; and
2-12 WHEREAS, The county seat of Corsicana was founded in the
2-13 mid-1800s by early settlers and was named for the Mediterranean
2-14 island of Corsica, the ancestral home of Jose Antonio Navarro, a
2-15 hero of the Texas Revolution for whom Navarro County is named; the
2-16 town sprang up around the McKinney Inn, which was established in
2-17 1849 by Hampton McKinney of Illinois, who operated the area's first
2-18 post office from the structure; and
2-19 WHEREAS, Following the discovery of oil in the city, one of
2-20 the state's first oil refineries was established in Corsicana in
2-21 1897, and in keeping with its reputation as a bold and innovative
2-22 community, the city later pioneered the use of natural gas as an
2-23 energy source for fuel and lighting and the use of crude oil for
2-24 locomotive fuel; and
2-25 WHEREAS, Though the city is still a leading energy producer,
2-26 the community's more than 24,000 industrious residents have created
2-27 a diverse economy for themselves by developing the county seat into
3-1 a major hub for the retail and wholesale trade of agricultural
3-2 products grown throughout the fertile Blacklands region; the city
3-3 also offers area residents outstanding educational opportunities as
3-4 the site of Navarro College and serves as an important commercial
3-5 center for industry and health care services; and
3-6 WHEREAS, Russell Stover Candies, Inc., will further sweeten
3-7 the pot of the region's economy with its brand-new Corsicana
3-8 manufacturing facility; the third-largest chocolate company in the
3-9 United States, the confectioner will ultimately employ 600 people
3-10 to produce an assortment of boxed chocolates and seasonal items;
3-11 and
3-12 WHEREAS, Navarro County and the city of Corsicana are
3-13 renowned for their dynamic and forward-thinking citizenry, and even
3-14 as these notable Texans look with justifiable pride on the region's
3-15 past, they are eager to embrace the challenges and opportunities of
3-16 the years to come; now, therefore, be it
3-17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-18 Legislature hereby recognize March 3, 1999, as Corsicana/Navarro
3-19 County Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the
3-20 members of the delegation visiting on this day; and, be it further
3-21 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-22 prepared for the members of the Corsicana/Navarro County delegation
3-23 as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of
3-24 Representatives.
Alexander
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 340 was adopted by the House on March
3, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House