By Homer                                               H.R. No. 489
         76R9662 JBR-F                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to
 1-2     join the citizens of Fannin County on March 22, 1999, in a joyous
 1-3     celebration of Fannin County Day at the State Capitol; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, Located in Northeast Texas along the Red River
 1-5     Valley, Fannin County was the first original county created in 1837
 1-6     by the Congress of the Republic of Texas from Red River County; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, The county once consisted of land including all or
 1-8     parts of 26 present-day counties, spanning more than 350 miles;
 1-9     Fannin County was reduced in size in 1846 when its western boundary
1-10     was fixed, and its remaining 906 square miles of rich topsoil are
1-11     drained by the Red River and Bois d'Arc Creek; and
1-12           WHEREAS, Named for Colonel James Walker Fannin, the Texas
1-13     hero killed in the massacre at Goliad in 1836, the area attracted
1-14     its first permanent settlement that same year when several families
1-15     arrived to build their homes on the rolling prairie and were soon
1-16     followed by others who settled along the Red River; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The county seat is the city of Bonham, founded in
1-18     1836 by Judge Bailey Inglish, who originally named the settlement
1-19     Bois d'Arc after the native trees predominant in the area; the name
1-20     of the town was changed to Bonham in 1844 in honor of James B.
1-21     Bonham, famous messenger in the Battle of the Alamo; and
1-22           WHEREAS, Bonham is known for its favorite son, Sam Rayburn,
1-23     who began his political career in the Texas House of
1-24     Representatives, where he served one year as speaker; the
 2-1     distinguished Texan later went to Washington, D.C., where he was a
 2-2     congressman for 48 years and speaker of the U.S. House of
 2-3     Representatives for 17 years, longer than any other individual in
 2-4     history; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, The Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce was established
 2-6     in 1886 as the Board of Trade; renamed the chamber of commerce in
 2-7     1926, it has been instrumental in bringing jobs and new residents
 2-8     to Bonham and Fannin County, and it is the driving force for social
 2-9     and economic change; now, therefore, be it
2-10           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-11     Legislature hereby recognize March 22, 1999, as Fannin County Day
2-12     at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Fannin County in
2-13     paying tribute to this impressive Texas county; and, be it further
2-14           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-15     prepared for the delegates from Fannin County as a memento of this
2-16     grand occasion and as an expression of high regard by the Texas
2-17     House of Representatives.