79R6669 JTR-D

By:  Hardcastle                                                   H.R. No. 613



R 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.