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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, In 2007, proud residents of Parmer County are |
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celebrating the 100th anniversary of the organization of their |
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county; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated along the border of New Mexico on the High |
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Plains of the Panhandle, this windswept region was first occupied |
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by the Apache; they were driven out around 1700 by the Kiowa and the |
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Comanche, who dominated the High Plains until the 1870s; and |
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WHEREAS, Parmer County was established from the Bexar |
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District in 1876 and named after Martin Parmer, a veteran of the |
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Texas Revolution; the Capitol Syndicate of Chicago accepted three |
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million acres of land in the Panhandle in 1882 in exchange for |
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building a new State Capitol in Austin, and for the next 20 years, |
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the only inhabitants of the county were the cowboys of the |
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syndicate's massive XIT ranch; by 1900, the U.S. Census counted |
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13,675 head of cattle and 34 people; and |
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WHEREAS, With the arrival of the Pecos and Northern Texas |
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Railway, communities began to grow along the track of the railroad; |
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in 1904, the Capitol Syndicate began to sell sites to small ranchers |
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and farmers, and by 1910, 161 farms and ranches had grown up in the |
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county; in May 1907, Parmer County was organized, with Farwell as |
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the county seat; and |
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WHEREAS, With the vast Ogallala aquifer as an irrigation |
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source, Parmer County has become in the 21st century one of the |
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leading agricultural counties in Texas, with beef cattle, sorghum, |
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corn, wheat, and cotton as the chief products; in recent years the |
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market value of Parmer County's cattle and crops has exceeded half a |
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billion dollars a year; and |
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WHEREAS, Today county seat Farwell serves the agricultural |
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economy with an irrigation pipe plant, feedlot operations, and |
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grain elevators; every July the town celebrates Border Town Days |
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with its neighbor, Texico, just across the New Mexico state line; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The largest town in the county, Friona is likewise a |
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center for agribusiness, with such major employers as Cargill Meat |
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Solutions, Friona Industries, and Hi-Pro Feeds providing |
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processing and support services to the ranching industry; residents |
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and visitors alike enjoy the city's annual festivals, including |
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Maize Days every September and the Annual Cheeseburger Cook-Off and |
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Festival in July; and |
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WHEREAS, With its colorful past and the prospect of a |
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prosperous future, Parmer County has much to celebrate on its 100th |
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anniversary, and it is fitting to pay tribute to this significant |
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region of the Lone Star State on this notable occasion; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Parmer County on the 100th |
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anniversary of its founding and extend to the county's citizens |
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best wishes for an enjoyable birthday celebration and for another |
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100 years of prosperity. |