1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 333 1-3 WHEREAS, On March 3, 1999, many proud residents of the 1-4 City of Corsicana and Navarro County will gather in Austin to 1-5 celebrate Corsicana/Navarro County Day at the State Capitol, and 1-6 this festive event provides a fitting opportunity to extol the 1-7 area's many virtues; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Navarro County encompasses more than 1,000 1-9 square miles of gently rolling prairie and woodland and is a 1-10 rich repository of both abundant natural resources and colorful 1-11 Texas history; originally inhabited by Native American tribes, 1-12 including Iones, Kickapoos, and Comanches, the county was founded 1-13 in 1846, and the cotton, tobacco, and produce crops that covered 1-14 the area quickly established it as a center for agricultural trade; 1-15 and 1-16 WHEREAS, In 1894, while drilling for water, city workers 1-17 in Corsicana accidently struck Texas crude, and petroleum 1-18 replaced peaches and pecans as the region's preeminent export; 1-19 since that time, manufacturing, construction, and food processing 1-20 have also taken their places as mainstays of the local economy, 1-21 and the area's many attributes continue to attract new industry and 1-22 investment; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Residents of Navarro County revel in their 1-24 multifaceted cultural heritage, and this appreciation of their 2-1 roots is reflected in such area attractions as Corsicana's Pioneer 2-2 Village, a historical re-creation of a 19th-century town; the 2-3 Gaston C. Gooch Library, which houses a collection of more than 2-4 44,000 pieces of Native American art that is among the finest of 2-5 its kind; and the Lefty Frizzell Country Music Museum, dedicated 2-6 to the life and art of local hero and country music legend 2-7 Lefty Frizzell; and 2-8 WHEREAS, The region is also a sportsman's paradise, 2-9 boasting outstanding fishing and boating on Richland-Chambers 2-10 Lake and Navarro Mills Lake, while less athletically inclined 2-11 visitors may sample the internationally famous Corsicana fruitcake 2-12 that has been the pride of Collin Street Bakery for more than a 2-13 century and is the only fruitcake ever to have been granted the 2-14 prestigious Culinary Merit Award by the Gourmet Society of 2-15 New York; and 2-16 WHEREAS, The county seat of Corsicana was founded in the 2-17 mid-1800s by early settlers and was named for the Mediterranean 2-18 island of Corsica, the ancestral home of Jose Antonio Navarro, a 2-19 hero of the Texas Revolution for whom Navarro County is named; the 2-20 town sprang up around the McKinney Inn, which was established in 2-21 1849 by Hampton McKinney of Illinois, who operated the area's first 2-22 post office from the structure; and 2-23 WHEREAS, Following the discovery of oil in the city, one 2-24 of the state's first oil refineries was established in Corsicana 2-25 in 1897, and in keeping with its reputation as a bold and 2-26 innovative community, the city later pioneered the use of natural 3-1 gas as an energy source for fuel and lighting and the use of crude 3-2 oil for locomotive fuel; and 3-3 WHEREAS, Though the city is still a leading energy 3-4 producer, the community's more than 24,000 industrious residents 3-5 have created a diverse economy for themselves by developing the 3-6 county seat into a major hub for the retail and wholesale trade of 3-7 agricultural products grown throughout the fertile Blacklands 3-8 region; the city also offers area residents outstanding educational 3-9 opportunities as the site of Navarro College and serves as an 3-10 important commercial center for industry and health care services; 3-11 and 3-12 WHEREAS, Russell Stover Candies, Incorporated, will 3-13 further sweeten the pot of the region's economy with its 3-14 brand-new Corsicana manufacturing facility; the third-largest 3-15 chocolate company in the United States, the confectioner will 3-16 ultimately employ 600 people to produce an assortment of boxed 3-17 chocolates and seasonal items; and 3-18 WHEREAS, Navarro County and the City of Corsicana are 3-19 renowned for their dynamic and forward-thinking citizenry, and 3-20 even as these notable Texans look with justifiable pride on the 3-21 region's past, they are eager to embrace the challenges and 3-22 opportunities of the years to come; now, therefore, be it 3-23 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-24 76th Legislature, hereby recognize March 3, 1999, as 3-25 Corsicana/Navarro County Day at the State Capitol and extend 3-26 a warm welcome to the members of the delegation visiting on this 4-1 day; and, be it further 4-2 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared 4-3 for the members of the Corsicana/Navarro County delegation as an 4-4 expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. 4-5 Ogden 4-6 ______________________________________ 4-7 President of the Senate 4-8 I hereby certify that the above 4-9 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 4-10 on March 3, 1999. 4-11 ______________________________________ 4-12 Secretary of the Senate 4-13 ______________________________________ 4-14 Member, Texas Senate