By Salinas                                             H.R. No. 302
         77R7128 MMS-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Proud citizens of La Salle County are visiting the
 1-2     State Capitol on February 21, 2001, to celebrate the role their
 1-3     South Texas home has played in the annals of the Lone Star State;
 1-4     and
 1-5           WHEREAS, In the Spanish colonial era, the Old Presidio Road
 1-6     passed through present-day La Salle County; Coahuila governor
 1-7     Alonso De Leon used this road on his way to search for the French
 1-8     settlement of the Sieur de La Salle, as did the famed missionary
 1-9     and historian Friar Juan Agustin Morfi; and
1-10           WHEREAS, Although the county was created in 1858, outlaw
1-11     activity and Indian raids delayed settlement; Fort Ewell,
1-12     established in 1852 to protect travelers, was abandoned two years
1-13     later; with the last Indian raid occurring in 1878, however, and
1-14     the arrival of the railroad in the early 1880s and the gradual
1-15     suppression of desperadoes, ranching soon became a viable project;
1-16     and
1-17           WHEREAS, One of the ranches established during this period
1-18     was a huge spread managed by the Hall brothers, among them Jesse
1-19     Leigh "Lee" Hall, a noted Texas Ranger who had been instrumental in
1-20     bringing order to South Texas; Lee Hall became the prototype for
1-21     the Texas Ranger who appears in many short stories by the writer O.
1-22     Henry, who spent two years on the ranch while seeking to improve
1-23     his health; and
1-24           WHEREAS, Ranching, fortified today by the infusion of
 2-1     Hereford and Brahman stock, remains a major part of the county's
 2-2     economy; other income is derived from oil and gas, a significant
 2-3     industry here since the 1950s, and from agriculture; the South
 2-4     Texas practice of cool-season farming originated in La Salle County
 2-5     in the 1890s, and by 1910 the county was the leading vegetable
 2-6     producer in the Winter Garden Region; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, The county seat, Cotulla, was founded in 1881;
 2-8     future president Lyndon B. Johnson taught in Cotulla during the
 2-9     1920s, and this interlude proved to be a formative influence on his
2-10     thinking about society and the role of government; the schoolhouse
2-11     where he taught is now home to the Brush Country Museum, whose
2-12     collections include hundreds of photos of early ranching life; and
2-13           WHEREAS, Today, the county is taking a strong interest in
2-14     soil conservation, while the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area
2-15     (WMA) is doing important work regarding the management of wildlife
2-16     and wildlife habitat; the Chaparral WMA also serves as an outdoor
2-17     laboratory for students and offers many opportunities for outdoor
2-18     recreation; and
2-19           WHEREAS, The citizens of La Salle County are heirs to a
2-20     notable history and heritage, and their productivity and dedication
2-21     to being good stewards of the earth are a model for all Texans and
2-22     are truly worthy of commendation; now, therefore, be it
2-23           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-24     Legislature hereby recognize February 21, 2001, as La Salle County
2-25     Day at the State Capitol and extend to this delegation sincere best
2-26     wishes for an enjoyable and memorable visit.