79R6669 JTR-D By: Hardcastle H.R. No. 613R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The colorful history of the Lone Star State is inextricably linked with the great late-nineteenth-century cattle drives that secured the mythic stature of the state's intrepid cattlemen and lifted Texas from the economic ruin of the Civil War; and WHEREAS, The Great Western Trail, which originated in South Texas and extended up through Dodge City, Kansas, was crucial to the success of these bold ventures, and between 1876 and 1895 some seven million head of cattle were moved along its length; and WHEREAS, Rightly thrilled by this rich history, modern-day Texans have sought to celebrate the romance of the Great Western Trail by re-creating the great cattle drives and marking its passage through the American heartland; and WHEREAS, A 2004 trail drive from Bandera to Dodge City proved extremely successful, igniting widespread public interest and prompting other communities with ties to the trail to stage their own celebrations; and WHEREAS, The first marker of the trail's path was placed at Doan's Crossing on the Red River as a gift from the people of Oklahoma, who are marking the trail in their state; closer to home, members of the Vernon Rotary Club followed suit in modern-day Wilbarger County; and WHEREAS, The project's second marker was placed in Bandera, and since that time further markers have been placed in Baylor, Throckmorton, and Shackleford Counties, with plans in place to continue the process throughout the trail's Texas route; and WHEREAS, The importance of the Great Western Trail to the development and history of Texas cannot be overestimated, and those citizens who take it upon themselves to preserve this proud legacy are truly deserving of our respect and gratitude; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the Great Western Trail and extend sincere best wishes to all those associated with the modern project of marking its path through the Lone Star State.