By Cook H.R. No. 412
77R8202 MMS-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Bastrop are visiting the
1-2 State Capitol on March 7, 2001, to celebrate the vitality and rich
1-3 heritage of this historic Texas community, and photographs
1-4 illustrating the town's many facets are on exhibit today in the
1-5 Capitol rotunda; and
1-6 WHEREAS, In colonial days, Bastrop was the site of a Colorado
1-7 River crossing on the Old San Antonio Road, for several hundred
1-8 years an important route between Mexico and East Texas; a fort
1-9 stood here for a time in the early 1800s, and in 1827 Stephen F.
1-10 Austin secured permission to settle 100 families in the area, a
1-11 project that became known as Austin's Little Colony; and
1-12 WHEREAS, Bastrop was laid out in accordance with the
1-13 traditional plan for Mexican towns in 1832; although settlement was
1-14 slowed by the threat from Comanche Indians, who hunted here in the
1-15 fall, the community had grown to about 400 by the time of the Texas
1-16 Revolution; and
1-17 WHEREAS, At the beginning of the revolution, Bastrop became
1-18 the first settlement in the province to organize a committee of
1-19 public safety; 11 men from Bastrop died at the Battle of the Alamo,
1-20 and in the days that followed, as settlers fled eastward, the
1-21 Mexican army and Indians completely leveled the town; and
1-22 WHEREAS, Following independence, Bastrop became the county
1-23 seat of Bastrop County; the town enjoyed a prominence that extended
1-24 far beyond the county's borders, serving as a commercial and
2-1 political center, a place for organizing military forays against
2-2 the Indians, and a haven for settlers during times of frontier
2-3 unrest; and
2-4 WHEREAS, The early economy of the community rested on
2-5 agriculture and on timber from the adjacent pine forest; Bastrop
2-6 lumber was carted to Austin, San Antonio, the Texas frontier, and
2-7 Mexico; in time, cotton cultivation came to the fore and the
2-8 importance of the timber industry receded; and
2-9 WHEREAS, Still a center for agribusiness, Bastrop also draws
2-10 economic strength from such present-day industries as oil-well
2-11 supply and manufacturing; together with new commercial development,
2-12 the town also boasts a new medical center and a University of Texas
2-13 cancer research center; and
2-14 WHEREAS, This vibrant community has retained much of its
2-15 19th-century ambience, with more than 125 buildings in the downtown
2-16 district and surrounding neighborhoods listed in the National
2-17 Register of Historic Places; immensely attractive to individuals
2-18 looking for a small town in which to live and raise their families,
2-19 Bastrop is also popular with tourists; and
2-20 WHEREAS, Local attractions include the Bastrop Museum, the
2-21 Central Texas Museum of Automotive History, the 1890 iron bridge
2-22 over the Colorado, which has been converted to a park, and the 1889
2-23 opera house, which offers a year-round schedule of comedy, drama,
2-24 and musical theater; and
2-25 WHEREAS, Opportunities for outdoor recreation abound at the
2-26 Bastrop State Park, home of the Lost Pines, at the McKinney Roughs
2-27 Natural Science Preserve, at Lake Bastrop and along the Colorado
3-1 River, and at three 18-hole golf courses; and
3-2 WHEREAS, Citizens of Bastrop are justifiably proud of their
3-3 notable heritage and of the splendid community that they share
3-4 today, and it is a great pleasure to recognize the many
3-5 contributions they and their forebears have made to the building of
3-6 the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
3-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
3-8 Legislature hereby recognize March 7, 2001, as Bastrop . . .
3-9 Something for Everyone Day at the State Capitol and extend to this
3-10 delegation sincere best wishes for an enjoyable and memorable
3-11 visit.