SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1036

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize Parmer County on the grand occasion of its 100th birthday; and

WHEREAS, Located on the High Plains of Texas on the western border of the Panhandle, the area that is Parmer County was occupied by the Apache Indians and later by the Kiowa and Comanche Indians who remained until 1874 when they were moved to Indian Territory following the Red River War; and

WHEREAS, Parmer County was established by the Texas Legislature in 1876 and was named for Martin Parmer, an early settler and a veteran of the Texas Revolution; there was no settlement until 1882 when the state agreed to give a syndicate from Chicago three million acres of land in exchange for a new state capitol; most of Parmer County land became the syndicate's huge XIT Ranch; and

WHEREAS, Except for the XIT cowboys, Parmer County was basically unpopulated until the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway Company began building a branch line from Amarillo to the Texas-New Mexico border, and communities and town sites emerged along the line, such as Parmerton, Black, Friona, and Bovina; and

WHEREAS, Farwell, the county seat, was established in 1904 as a central point from which the syndicate could administer the sales of XIT land to land speculators, small ranchers, and farmers; and

WHEREAS, Agricultural development occurred, and citizens began to organize the county and establish local government; an election was held on May 7, 1907, to choose county officials, and Parmerton was chosen as the county seat; Farwell became the county seat the following year; and

WHEREAS, As more range land was put into production, the county's population grew; by 1930 the county had 818 farms and ranches, and 100,000 acres were planted in sorghum with smaller areas planted in corn, cotton, and wheat; poultry became a significant part of the economy; and

WHEREAS, The population of Parmer County more than doubled in the 1920s and rose slowly during the years of the Great Depression; the area regained economic viability in the 1950s with the increase in irrigated farming when irrigation wells were drilled into the Ogallala aquifer; and

WHEREAS, By 2002, Parmer County had 660 farms and ranches covering 576,461 acres of land; farmers and ranchers earned more than $600 million, placing Parmer among the leading Texas counties in farm income; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of Parmer County have reason to be proud of their rich history and their many contributions to the heritage of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 80th Legislature, hereby pay tribute to Parmer County on the 100th anniversary of its founding and extend best wishes to its citizens for a splendid centennial celebration; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Parmer County in honor of its 100th birthday. Seliger

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 15, 2007.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate