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