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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud citizens are taking time this year to |
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celebrate the sesquicentennial of the establishment of Palo Pinto |
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County; and |
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WHEREAS, Originally home to the Lipan Apache people, this |
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rugged, hilly country along the Brazos River was first surveyed by |
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William A. A. "Bigfoot" Wallace in 1837; the original settlers |
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included the cattlemen Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight, who |
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founded their ranches in the 1850s; and |
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WHEREAS, Palo Pinto County was formed by the state |
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legislature in 1856 from parts of Bosque and Navarro Counties and |
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formally established in 1857; the name of the county is Spanish for |
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"painted posts" or "painted trees," which may have come from the |
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Native American practice of painting trees blue and red along Palo |
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Pinto Creek near Strawn; the county seat Golconda was renamed Palo |
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Pinto in 1858; and |
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WHEREAS, By 1880 cotton had become an important crop in the |
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county, and the Texas and Pacific Railway linked the region with |
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national markets and brought in new settlers; the discovery of oil |
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in the 1910s made petroleum drilling a major part of the county's |
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economy; and |
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WHEREAS, The largest town in the county, Mineral Wells was |
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founded by James Lynch, who, in 1880, discovered that his |
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odd-tasting well water might have healing properties; the spa that |
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grew up around the town's "Crazy Water" boasted 150,000 visitors a |
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year during the early 20th century; over the years the 452 rooms of |
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the massive Baker Hotel hosted such celebrities as Lawrence Welk, |
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Judy Garland, Clark Gable, the Three Stooges, Roy Rogers and Dale |
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Evans, and even, under an alias, the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Near Mineral Wells, Camp Wolters served as |
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headquarters for the cavalry of the Texas National Guard, a U.S. |
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Army Infantry Replacement Center and German POW camp during World |
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War II, a U.S. Air Force Base in the 1950s, and the home of Primary |
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Helicopter Training for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War; in |
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1973 the base was deactivated and rechristened as Wolters |
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Industrial Park; and |
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WHEREAS, With an economy firmly founded today upon ranching, |
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oil, agriculture, and manufacturing, Palo Pinto County delights |
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residents and visitors alike with such attractions as the Palo |
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Pinto County Jail Museum, the Strawn Museum, and the Little Rock |
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Schoolhouse Museum; and |
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WHEREAS, The 18,000 acres of Possum Kingdom Lake and the |
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surrounding cliffs and hillsides offer recreational opportunities, |
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and the county's annual festivals include the Possum Kingdom |
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Chamber of Commerce Mardi Gras Parade in March and the Crazy Water |
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Festival in Mineral Wells every October; and |
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WHEREAS, With its rich traditions, scenic landscape, and |
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industrious residents, Palo Pinto County is a unique and dynamic |
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region of the Lone Star State, and it is fitting that the county's |
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150 years of colorful history and achievement be recognized and |
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celebrated; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the sesquicentennial of the |
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establishment of Palo Pinto County and extend best wishes to its |
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residents for a happy and prosperous future. |