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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Crystal City are joining together |
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to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their city in November 2007; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Situated on the South Texas plain, Crystal City was |
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created when two developers, Carl F. Groos and E. J. Buckingham, |
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purchased the 96,000-acre Cross S Ranch in 1905 and sold off the |
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property in 1907 as 10-acre farms; each buyer also received a town |
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lot in the planned community of Crystal City; and |
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WHEREAS, Named after the clear artesian water that made |
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agriculture possible in the region, Crystal City was linked to the |
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railroad in 1911 and quickly became a major center for the growing |
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and distribution of winter vegetables; Bermuda onions were the |
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mainstay at first, but with the introduction of spinach in 1917, |
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Crystal City soon became the self-proclaimed Spinach Capital of the |
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World; and |
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WHEREAS, The town was named the county seat of Zavala County |
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in 1928; the first Spinach Festival was held in 1936, and in 1937, |
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with the blessing of Popeye creator E. C. Segar, the city erected a |
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statue of Popeye the Sailor Man, the cartoon character known for his |
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consumption of spinach; and |
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WHEREAS, Crystal City was the site of an internment camp for |
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Japanese Americans and others during World War II; the camp was |
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converted to low-income housing after the war, and in 1945 a |
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vegetable canning factory was built near the town; during the 1960s |
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the Mexican American majority in the town asserted their political |
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rights, and their actions led to the formation of the Raza Unida |
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party; and |
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WHEREAS, Today the statue of Popeye still stands in front of |
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City Hall, and the city remains a center for the growing and |
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packaging of spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, |
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watermelons, and cantaloupes, as well as a center for oil-field |
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services; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy fishing on the |
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nearby Nueces, Leona, and Frio Rivers, as well as hunting for such |
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game as deer, wild hog, turkey, dove, and javelina; during the |
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second week of November the annual Spinach Festival draws 50,000 |
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people and offers such attractions as a spinach cook-off, a parade, |
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a car show, and live Tejano performances; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating its past as it looks forward to a bright |
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future, Crystal City contributes greatly to the life of the Lone |
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Star State, and it is fitting to recognize its century of |
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achievement; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the residents of Crystal City on |
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the town's 100th anniversary and extend to them best wishes for a |
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fine centennial celebration; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Crystal City as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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King of Zavala |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2387 was adopted by the House on May |
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25, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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