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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Van Zandt County are visiting |
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the State Capitol on March 14, 2007, to celebrate the significant |
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part they and their forebears have played in the development of the |
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Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, Created by an Act of the Texas Legislature on March |
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20, 1847, this Northeast Texas county was named for Isaac Van Zandt, |
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a Republic of Texas lawyer, legislator, and diplomat; and |
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WHEREAS, Canton, the county seat, was laid out in 1850 and |
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incorporated in 1919; named a Main Street City, it is home to the |
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Van Zandt County Fair and First Monday Trade Days, one of the |
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country's best-known flea markets; a library of genealogy and local |
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history is also a popular attraction and preserves much of the |
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county's notable heritage; and |
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WHEREAS, The development of this fascinating area can be |
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traced in a number of other communities as well; Edgewood, settled |
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in the 1840s, boasts the Edgewood Heritage Park Museum, a facility |
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dedicated to the preservation of rural cultural and architectural |
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history; and |
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WHEREAS, Edom, established in 1856, is one of the oldest |
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towns in the county, and its past is highlighted by 10 state |
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historical markers, many of them researched by members of the Edom |
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Historical Society; the residents of this small community also give |
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hearty support to an active civic theater; and |
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WHEREAS, Fruit cultivation prompted the naming of Fruitvale, |
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where a nursery operated as early as the 1870s; several generations |
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in this century-old town have treasured the Randall Store, a local |
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institution since 1910; and |
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WHEREAS, Grand Saline served as the first Van Zandt County |
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seat and was named a Main Street City in 2004; originally called |
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Jordan's Saline, it takes its name from an immense dome of pure salt |
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lying beneath the city; more than a mile and a half wide and 20,000 |
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feet thick, the deposit is presently mined by Morton Salt Company; |
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the city celebrates this important industry with an annual Salt |
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Festival and the Salt Palace Museum, a unique structure built with |
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rock salt crystal; those exploring Grand Saline can also stop by the |
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historical marker that commemorates native son Wiley Post, the |
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renowned pioneer aviator, and visit the new Veterans Memorial Wall |
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Park; and |
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WHEREAS, Van, established in 1891, remained a quiet farming |
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community until 1929, when the discovery of oil nearby transformed |
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the village into a boomtown; the Van Area Oil and Historical Museum |
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recaptures the excitement of that frenetic time and commemorates |
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the discovery with an annual Oil Festival; and |
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WHEREAS, Wills Point, settled in 1873 and originally known as |
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Iola, was renamed for William Wills, whose cabin served as a |
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stopping place for those traveling between Shreveport and Dallas; |
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the Wills cabin still stands, as does the Texas and Pacific Railroad |
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depot, which houses the Historical Society Museum; Wills Point, |
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which is officially the Bluebird Capital of Texas, hosts the annual |
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Bluebird Festival; and |
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WHEREAS, Ben Wheeler, surrounded by natural springs and rich |
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farmland, was named for Van Zandt County's first mail carrier, |
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Benjamin R. Wheeler, in 1876; and |
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WHEREAS, Martins Mill got its name from Dan R. Martin's |
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gristmill; established in 1880, the community survived destruction |
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by tornadoes and fires and today is home to one of the largest |
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dairies in East Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Major events in the county include the Texas State |
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Bluegrass Festival, the Edom Arts Fair, and the Van Zandt County |
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Relay for Life; for the outdoor enthusiast, the Neches and Sabine |
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Rivers, Purtis Creek State Park, and Lake Tawakoni State Park offer |
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ample opportunities for fishing, boating, swimming, and camping; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The home of more than 50,000 people, Van Zandt |
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County relies on tourism, oil, and agribusiness; the area is a major |
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producer of hay, blueberries, sweet potatoes, and nursery crops, in |
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addition to cattle, horses, hogs, and dairy products; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Van Zandt County take justifiable |
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pride in the hard work and ready cooperation that have made their |
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county strong, and it is a pleasure to pay tribute to their many |
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contributions to the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 14, 2007, as Van Zandt County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend sincere best wishes to those Van |
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Zandt residents here today for an informative and memorable visit |
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to Austin. |