|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Crystal City are joining together |
|
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their city in November 2007; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, Situated on the South Texas plain, Crystal City was |
|
created when two developers, Carl F. Groos and E. J. Buckingham, |
|
purchased the 96,000-acre Cross S Ranch in 1905 and sold off the |
|
property in 1907 as 10-acre farms; each buyer also received a town |
|
lot in the planned community of Crystal City; and |
|
WHEREAS, Named after the clear artesian water that made |
|
agriculture possible in the region, Crystal City was linked to the |
|
railroad in 1911 and quickly became a major center for the growing |
|
and distribution of winter vegetables; Bermuda onions were the |
|
mainstay at first, but with the introduction of spinach in 1917, |
|
Crystal City soon became the self-proclaimed Spinach Capital of the |
|
World; and |
|
WHEREAS, The town was named the county seat of Zavala County |
|
in 1928; the first Spinach Festival was held in 1936, and in 1937, |
|
with the blessing of Popeye creator E. C. Segar, the city erected a |
|
statue of Popeye the Sailor Man, the cartoon character known for his |
|
consumption of spinach; and |
|
WHEREAS, Crystal City was the site of an internment camp for |
|
Japanese Americans and others during World War II; the camp was |
|
converted to low-income housing after the war, and in 1945 a |
|
vegetable canning factory was built near the town; during the 1960s |
|
the Mexican American majority in the town asserted their political |
|
rights, and their actions led to the formation of the Raza Unida |
|
party; and |
|
WHEREAS, Today the statue of Popeye still stands in front of |
|
City Hall, and the city remains a center for the growing and |
|
packaging of spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, |
|
watermelons, and cantaloupes, as well as a center for oil-field |
|
services; and |
|
WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy fishing on the |
|
nearby Nueces, Leona, and Frio Rivers, as well as hunting for such |
|
game as deer, wild hog, turkey, dove, and javelina; during the |
|
second week of November the annual Spinach Festival draws 50,000 |
|
people and offers such attractions as a spinach cook-off, a parade, |
|
a car show, and live Tejano performances; and |
|
WHEREAS, Celebrating its past as it looks forward to a bright |
|
future, Crystal City contributes greatly to the life of the Lone |
|
Star State, and it is fitting to recognize its century of |
|
achievement; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby congratulate the residents of Crystal City on |
|
the town's 100th anniversary and extend to them best wishes for a |
|
fine centennial celebration; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for Crystal City as an expression of high regard by the |
|
Texas House of Representatives. |