79R11754 MDM-D

By:  Craddick                                                     H.R. No. 1020



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, On April 23, 2005, many proud Texans are 
participating in a Founder's Day celebration to mark the 100th 
anniversary of Lamesa's election as the county seat of Dawson 
County; and
	WHEREAS, Created from Bexar Territory by an act of the Texas 
Legislature in 1876, Dawson County is named for Captain Nicholas 
Mosby Dawson, a pioneer settler from La Grange, who was captured and 
killed by a Mexican military force in 1842; and
	WHEREAS, Administratively, Dawson County was attached to 
Howard County for judicial purposes, but in 1905, residents decided 
it was time they had a county seat of their own; the Howard County 
Commissioners Court granted a petition signed by 150 Dawson County 
voters, and the communities of Lamesa and Chicago vigorously sought 
the honor, each offering a full slate of candidates for county and 
precinct officers; and
	WHEREAS, Lamesa won the March 20, 1905, election by just five 
votes; residents of the two towns immediately embarked on a 
collaboration that resulted in free lots offered by Lamesa to 
Chicago merchants, and a cooperative moving event that relocated 
houses and stores to the new county seat; the first meeting of the 
Dawson County Commissioners Court convened on April 4, 1905; and
	WHEREAS, Since its inception, Dawson County residents have 
demonstrated a spirit of unity that has fostered a prosperous 
county where residents may enjoy living, working, and raising their 
families; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby congratulate all those involved with the 
centennial of Lamesa becoming the county seat of Dawson County and 
extend best wishes to all residents for a meaningful and memorable 
observance; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the City of Lamesa as an expression of high regard by 
the Texas House of Representatives.