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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, One of the icons of El Paso, the historic steam |
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engine known as the El Paso & Southwestern Locomotive No. 1 is |
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celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, Built by Breese Kneeland & Company at the New York |
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Locomotive Works of Jersey City in 1857, EP&SW No. 1 is one of the |
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few survivors of the steam railroading era; the oldest of its type |
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west of the Mississippi River, it is the only Breese Kneeland engine |
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still in existence; and |
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WHEREAS, Classic steam locomotives like Old Engine No. 1 were |
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in use when El Paso was first connected by rail to California, the |
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Midwest, and New Orleans, and they played an important role in |
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opening the region to trade, industry, and tourism; and |
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WHEREAS, Originally known as "Spring Green," this legendary |
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locomotive first worked in Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Railroad; it |
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arrived in the Southwest in 1889, where it was designated the No. 1 |
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by the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad, which ran between Arizona, |
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New Mexico, and El Paso; Engine No. 1 served the line between Bisbee |
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and Fairbank, Arizona; and |
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WHEREAS, Retired by the railroad in 1903, the locomotive was |
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restored and donated in 1909 to the City of El Paso, which put it on |
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display at the intersection of Stanton and Franklin Streets; in |
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1939 it was featured in the MGM movie, Let Freedom Ring, and in 1960 |
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the engine was donated to The University of Texas at El Paso, where |
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it was a landmark on campus for more than 40 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Restored and refurbished, the engine is now the |
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centerpiece of the Railroad and Transportation Museum in downtown |
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El Paso; drawing visitors from all over the Southwest, EP&SW No. 1 |
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is both a living testament to El Paso's colorful past and a national |
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treasure; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize the 150th anniversary of the El Paso & |
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Southwestern Locomotive No. 1 and extend to all those associated |
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with the Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso best wishes |
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for a happy sesquicentennial celebration; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the museum as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |