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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Situated just to the east of the Llano Estacado, the |
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city of Spur epitomizes, in the sweep of its landscape and history |
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and in the proud, forward-looking attitude of its citizens, the |
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expansive character of the American West; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 18th century, bands of Comanche Indians |
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migrated southward into Texas, pushing aside the Apaches and |
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Tonkawas; one of those bands, the Wanderers, established itself in |
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the area surrounding present-day Spur; less than two centuries |
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later, however, Comanche dominion over the Texas plains came to an |
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end; during the fateful decade of the 1870s, white hunters |
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exterminated the southern buffalo herd, which supplied most of the |
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tribe's essential needs, and a series of engagements with federal |
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troops resulted in the Comanches' final subjugation; and |
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WHEREAS, Within a few years, the plains of West Texas began to |
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fill with ranches; Dickens County, where the city of Spur is |
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located, became home to three of the most famous: the Matador, the |
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Pitchfork, and the town's namesake, the Spur; and |
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WHEREAS, The Spur Ranch had its genesis in 1878 with 1,900 |
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head of cattle that had been trailed northward from Refugio County; |
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soon, however, small ranchers on the plains, including the owners |
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of the Spur, were forced to sell their herds to larger concerns, |
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which were buying, leasing, and fencing vast amounts of land that |
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had formerly been open range; in this process of consolidation, the |
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Spur name was taken over by a sprawling ranch that encompassed some |
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569,000 acres; and |
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WHEREAS, From 1885 to 1907, the Spur Ranch was owned by a |
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group of British financiers who operated as the Espuela Land and |
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Cattle Company; after failing to realize much success, they sold |
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the ranch in the early 20th century to a group known as the Spur |
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Syndicate, which disposed of the cattle and, over the next three |
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decades, sold off the land to settlers; and |
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WHEREAS, To manage the breakup of the ranch and promote the |
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commercial development of the area, the syndicate hired Charles |
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Adam Jones as ranch manager; in less than a decade, Mr. Jones |
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platted several town sites, helped to establish schools and |
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churches, and succeeded in attracting mercantile businesses to the |
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region; he founded Spur in 1909, and he gave that community a |
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substantial boost by persuading the leadership of a new railroad, |
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the Stamford and Northwestern, to build their line through the |
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town; and |
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WHEREAS, During its first year of existence, Spur acquired a |
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newspaper, the Texas Spur, and a one-room schoolhouse; the |
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following year it added a bank, organized by Charles A. Jones, and |
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an agricultural experiment station, which would advance |
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understanding of soil and water conservation, range management, and |
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livestock production; the town incorporated in 1911, and over the |
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next 20 years it experienced steady growth; and |
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WHEREAS, Charles A. Jones was transferred in 1913 to the |
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Texas coast; he was succeeded as manager of the Spur Ranch by his |
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son, Clifford Bartlett Jones, who also served as mayor of Spur, |
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president of the Spur Chamber of Commerce, and president/director |
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of banks in Spur, Lubbock, and Dallas; at one time a regional |
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advisor for the Public Works Administration, Clifford B. Jones was |
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inaugurated in 1939 as president of Texas Technological College; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Another prominent Texan associated with the |
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community is Spur native Red McCombs, the distinguished businessman |
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and philanthropist and the former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, |
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Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Vikings; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Spur is the largest town in Dickens County, |
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and it continues to serve as a shipping center for cotton, wheat, |
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and cattle; its civic-minded residents, recognizing the |
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immeasurable importance of their historic resources, have secured |
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Provisional Main Street City status in order to promote, |
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simultaneously, historic preservation and economic development; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Reflecting the community's commitment to excellence |
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and to building for the future, the Spur Independent School |
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District has achieved "exemplary" status, the highest rating |
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accorded by the Texas Education Agency; the school plays a central |
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role in the life of the town, and the annual Spur Homecoming ranks |
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as one of the year's highlights, bringing many former residents |
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back for class reunions and a full schedule of homecoming and other |
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community events; another much-anticipated occasion is the Cowboy |
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Christmas Ball, sponsored by the Spur Area Chamber of Commerce; and |
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WHEREAS, Heirs to a rich legacy, the citizens of Spur are |
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meeting the challenges and opportunities of today with the same |
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energetic, can-do resourcefulness that their forebears brought to a |
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new frontier, and it is fitting that they and their community be |
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recognized as bearers of a celebrated and vital tradition; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby formally designate the city of Spur, Texas, as the Spirit of |
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the West. |