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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 173
	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased
to recognize February 24, 2005, as Austin County Day at the
State Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, Austin County is named in honor of
Stephen Fuller Austin, the "Father Of Texas," who chose the
site for his colony in 1823; home to the first Anglo-American 
settlement in Texas, Austin Colony was organized in 1837 during 
the days of the Republic of Texas and is one of the oldest counties
in Texas; and
	WHEREAS, The town of San Felipe was the first Austin County 
seat; it was also the first capital of Texas, and the history of 
the town is noted for its series of "firsts"; its residents 
established the first English-speaking school and Sunday school in
Texas in 1827; the first newspaper in Texas, the Texas Gazette, 
was published in San Felipe in 1829, and the first organized 
opposition to Mexican rule was expressed in San Felipe at the 
Convention of 1832; and
	WHEREAS, Also organized in Austin County were the
Texas Postal System and the Committee of Safety; the latter was 
originally founded as protection against the Karankawa Indians 
and later gained renown as the Texas Rangers; and
	WHEREAS, Austin County experienced three waves of 
settlement--the Anglo-Americans, the German immigrants, and the 
Czech immigrants; Industry was the first German settlement in 
Texas, and the first Czech settlement in Texas was at Cat Spring; and
	WHEREAS, In 1848, the county seat was moved to Bellville,
a settlement named in honor of early settlers Thomas and James Bell,

who arrived in Texas in 1822; the town of Bellville was incorporated
in 1929; and
	WHEREAS, With its rolling hills and idyllic rural vistas, 
Austin County reminds all Texans of the beauty of the wild land to 
which early settlers first arrived; more importantly, its vital 
and engaged citizens and its forward-thinking communities show 
all Texans the progress that can be made through the strength and 
tenacity of the pioneer spirit; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
79th Legislature, hereby commend the citizens of Austin County 
for their many contributions to our state and extend to them best 
wishes for a joyous and celebratory Austin County Day; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 
the citizens of Austin County as an expression of esteem from the 
Texas Senate.
                                                                      Armbrister




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on February 24, 2005.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate