H.R. No. 1933
 
R E S O L U T I O N
       WHEREAS, In 2007, proud residents of Parmer County are
celebrating the 100th anniversary of the organization of their
county; and
       WHEREAS, Situated along the border of New Mexico on the High
Plains of the Panhandle, this windswept region was first occupied
by the Apache; they were driven out around 1700 by the Kiowa and the
Comanche, who dominated the High Plains until the 1870s; and
       WHEREAS, Parmer County was established from the Bexar
District in 1876 and named after Martin Parmer, a veteran of the
Texas Revolution; the Capitol Syndicate of Chicago accepted three
million acres of land in the Panhandle in 1882 in exchange for
building a new State Capitol in Austin, and for the next 20 years,
the only inhabitants of the county were the cowboys of the
syndicate's massive XIT ranch; by 1900, the U.S. Census counted
13,675 head of cattle and 34 people; and
       WHEREAS, With the arrival of the Pecos and Northern Texas
Railway, communities began to grow along the track of the railroad;
in 1904, the Capitol Syndicate began to sell sites to small ranchers
and farmers, and by 1910, 161 farms and ranches had grown up in the
county; in May 1907, Parmer County was organized, with Farwell as
the county seat; and
       WHEREAS, With the vast Ogallala aquifer as an irrigation
source, Parmer County has become in the 21st century one of the
leading agricultural counties in Texas, with beef cattle, sorghum,
corn, wheat, and cotton as the chief products; in recent years the
market value of Parmer County's cattle and crops has exceeded half a
billion dollars a year; and
       WHEREAS, Today county seat Farwell serves the agricultural
economy with an irrigation pipe plant, feedlot operations, and
grain elevators; every July the town celebrates Border Town Days
with its neighbor, Texico, just across the New Mexico state line;
and
       WHEREAS, The largest town in the county, Friona is likewise a
center for agribusiness, with such major employers as Cargill Meat
Solutions, Friona Industries, and Hi-Pro Feeds providing
processing and support services to the ranching industry; residents
and visitors alike enjoy the city's annual festivals, including
Maize Days every September and the Annual Cheeseburger Cook-Off and
Festival in July; and
       WHEREAS, With its colorful past and the prospect of a
prosperous future, Parmer County has much to celebrate on its 100th
anniversary, and it is fitting to pay tribute to this significant
region of the Lone Star State on this notable occasion; now,
therefore, be it
       RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Parmer County on the 100th
anniversary of its founding and extend to the county's citizens
best wishes for an enjoyable birthday celebration and for another
100 years of prosperity.
Chisum
______________________________
Speaker of the House     
       I certify that H.R. No. 1933 was adopted by the House on May
18, 2007, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House