78R6208 KMP-D

By:  King                                                         H.R. No. 363



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Parker County are visiting 
Austin on March 3, 2003, to celebrate Parker County Day at the State 
Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, Created by the Texas Legislature in 1855, the county 
was named for pioneer and state representative Isaac Parker; Mr. 
Parker was the uncle of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped by 
Indians during the Texas Revolution; raised among the Comanches, 
she eventually became the mother of the great chief Quanah Parker; 
and
	WHEREAS, When settlers began moving into Parker County in the 
1840s, the area was the domain of the Comanches and Kiowas; the 
county retained its frontier character for a number of years, with 
Indian raids continuing into the 1870s; during these raids farming 
and ranching families would take refuge in Weatherford, the county 
seat; and
	WHEREAS, Evidence of the past is readily apparent in 
Weatherford, which has been designated a Texas Main Street City by 
the Texas Historical Commission and whose town square is dominated 
by the imposing 1886 Parker County Courthouse; the Victorian 
building was designed by Texas architect Wesley Clarke Dobson and 
was constructed of locally quarried limestone; and
	WHEREAS, Parker County citizen Oliver Loving, the famed 
cattleman who gave his name to the Goodnight-Loving Trail and who 
was the inspiration for the book Lonesome Dove, is buried in 
Weatherford's Greenwood Cemetery; the cemetery is also the resting 
place of Mary Martin, renowned star of musical theater and a 
Weatherford native; and
	WHEREAS, Annual events in Parker County include Frontier Days 
in June, the Peach Festival in July, and the Civil War weekend in 
September; the Santa Fe Depot, the Chandor Gardens, and Holland 
Lake Park are also fun and interesting to visit; and
	WHEREAS, Today the Parker County economy is based on 
agribusiness and manufacturing; agricultural products include beef 
cattle, dairy cows, horses, peanuts, watermelons, pecans, and 
peaches; the largest pecan tree in the United States, some 900 to 
1,100 years old, stands in Weatherford; and
	WHEREAS, Parker County holds a notable place in Texas 
frontier history and in the development of the Lone Star State, and 
its citizens are proudly preserving and building on this 
outstanding legacy; it is thus a great pleasure to welcome the 
delegation with us today and to commend their public spirit and 
their eminent contributions; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby recognize March 3, 2003, as Parker County Day at 
the State Capitol and extend to this delegation warmest best wishes 
for an enjoyable and memorable visit.