R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, El Paso is truly the International Gateway City of
1-2 the Americas, for it stands at the crossroads of two mighty
1-3 nations, and the historic pass where it is situated has seen a
1-4 cavalcade of many different cultures and ethnic groups; and
1-5 WHEREAS, The area of El Paso has supported human habitation
1-6 for millennia, and the vibrant spirit of the indigenous peoples who
1-7 once blazed trails throughout the Southwest can still be felt in
1-8 the pictographs at Hueco Tanks State Park in eastern El Paso; and
1-9 WHEREAS, In 1598 Juan de Onate led a party of colonists
1-10 northward to settle New Mexico; pausing at El Paso del Norte, the
1-11 Pass of the North, he performed the elaborate ceremony of La Toma,
1-12 taking possession of the area drained by the Rio Grande for the
1-13 king of Spain; Onate and his group celebrated the occasion with a
1-14 mass and a great feast, arguably the first Thanksgiving to be held
1-15 in North America; and
1-16 WHEREAS, Shown by friendly Manso Indians where to ford the
1-17 Rio Grande, Onate and his group continued northward and launched
1-18 the Spanish occupation of New Mexico; when the Pueblo Indians there
1-19 rebelled in 1680, the Spaniards and their Indian allies retreated
1-20 to the pass and over the next few years established five
1-21 settlements on the south bank of the river; and
1-22 WHEREAS, One of these was at first called El Paso del Norte,
1-23 like the pass itself, and is now known as Ciudad Juarez; Ysleta,
1-24 another of the settlements, later became United States territory
2-1 when the Rio Grande shifted farther south; now part of El Paso, the
2-2 community is still home to Tigua Indians, descendants of Ysleta's
2-3 founders; and
2-4 WHEREAS, Sovereignty over the area north of the Rio Grande
2-5 changed several times as the 19th century advanced; the region fell
2-6 under Mexican dominion in 1821, and in 1836 the Republic of Texas
2-7 laid claim to the territory by asserting the Rio Grande as its
2-8 southern boundary; although Mexico rejected this contention, the
2-9 United States endorsed it when Texas joined the Union in 1845, and
2-10 the Rio Grande became the accepted boundary in the Treaty of
2-11 Guadalupe Hidalgo, which concluded the Mexican War of 1846-1848;
2-12 and
2-13 WHEREAS, Difficulties did not end there, however, because the
2-14 river continually shifted its course; finally in 1963, the United
2-15 States and Mexico ratified a treaty that established the boundary
2-16 definitively; moreover, the two governments agreed to erect walls
2-17 to keep the river in the approved channel; and
2-18 WHEREAS, After Mexico won its independence in 1821 and
2-19 extended a welcome to foreign commerce, the volume of trade flowing
2-20 through the pass increased, with caravans traveling back and forth
2-21 from Mexico City to Santa Fe and on to Missouri; in the mid-1800s,
2-22 adventurers on their way to the California gold fields also swelled
2-23 the traffic at the pass; another stimulus for growth was provided
2-24 when President Ignacio Comonfort of Mexico repudiated the
2-25 Constitution of 1857 and Chihuahua declared a Zona Libre, or free
2-26 zone, along its border with Texas; and
2-27 WHEREAS, In 1852 a post office called El Paso was established
3-1 on the American side of the river at a settlement known as
3-2 Franklin, and in 1859 Franklin was platted and renamed El Paso;
3-3 since its inception, El Paso has benefited from its fortuitous
3-4 location on a major trade route, from abundant natural resources
3-5 and proximity to the mines of Mexico and the southwestern United
3-6 States, from the establishment of Fort Bliss, and from the arrival
3-7 of the railroad; and
3-8 WHEREAS, Founded in 1854, Fort Bliss was garrisoned for a
3-9 time by Buffalo Soldiers; the impact of this vast installation on
3-10 the city has been enormous, especially since World War II, both in
3-11 terms of added population and economic contribution; and
3-12 WHEREAS, In 1883, two years after the Southern Pacific
3-13 Railroad built into El Paso, the town became the county seat; after
3-14 the completion of the line in 1883, some of the railroad's 2,600
3-15 Chinese workers made their home in El Paso, and by the turn of the
3-16 20th century the Chinese formed a distinct enclave; and
3-17 WHEREAS, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez constitute the largest
3-18 binational urban area along the United States-Mexico border, and
3-19 the two cities have formed a strong, mutually beneficial
3-20 relationship; today their area is poised for even greater growth
3-21 with the advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement; and
3-22 WHEREAS, In the past year alone, United States Customs in El
3-23 Paso cleared more than 6,000 aircraft and 17 million vehicles;
3-24 every day, 35 trains leave the Union Pacific Station, and the
3-25 number is expected to grow to more than 70 per day, while arriving
3-26 and departing commercial airplanes presently account for a total of
3-27 9,200 passenger seats; El Paso's new 144,000-square-foot Air Cargo
4-1 complex allows it to handle more cargo than either Albuquerque or
4-2 Austin; and
4-3 WHEREAS, Located in the legendary Paso del Norte, an ancient
4-4 corridor for the peoples of two continents, El Paso is a city with
4-5 a proud and rich heritage, a friendly and industrious populace, a
4-6 thriving economy, and enormous potential for growth; now,
4-7 therefore, be it
4-8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
4-9 Legislature hereby recognize El Paso as the International Gateway
4-10 City of the Americas and extend to all its residents sincere best
4-11 wishes as they continue to build on their storied past.
Chavez
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 646 was adopted by the House on May
28, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House