H.R. No. 616

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Citizens of Grimes County are coming together at the
	State Capitol to celebrate Grimes County Day on March 5, 2009; and
	WHEREAS, A landscape of lush forests and verdant savannah,
	the area that would later become Grimes County was inhabited by the
	Bidai people when Europeans first arrived in the region in the late
	1600s; it is thought that the famous French explorer La Salle met
	his untimely end near present-day Navasota in 1687, murdered by his
	own men; and
	WHEREAS, In the 1820s, Anglo settlers began to move into the
	region, drawn by the rich bottomlands along the Navasota and Brazos
	Rivers; one of the first cotton crops in Texas was planted in the
	county, and with Anderson as its county seat, Grimes County was
	established in 1846 and named after Jesse Grimes, a signer of the
	Texas Declaration of Independence; and
	WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroad in 1859 helped promote
	the growth of Navasota as a center of commerce, while two spas
	established in the 1850s, Kellum Springs and Piedmont Springs, drew
	many visitors to the county; and
	WHEREAS, Today, the area's prosperity is based on livestock,
	agribusiness, and light manufacturing; the harvesting of timber,
	lignite coal, and natural gas also contributes to the economy of the
	region; and
	WHEREAS, Officially designated the Blues Capital of Texas by
	the 79th Texas Legislature in 2005, Navasota hosts the annual
	BluesFest to commemorate the famous blues musician and native son
	Mance Lipscomb and to raise money for a scholarship in his name; the
	town is equally renowned for its picturesque downtown and
	Victorian-style houses, and its history is showcased in the Horlock
	History Center, a restored 1892 home; and
	WHEREAS, Anderson boasts the striking Grimes County
	Courthouse, constructed of handmade bricks in 1894 and restored in
	2002; the town is also home to the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site,
	a restored 19th-century stagecoach stop that hosted such famous
	figures as Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson; and
	WHEREAS, Residents and visitors alike enjoy the colorful
	Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville every October and
	November; another popular attraction is Gibbons Creek Reservoir,
	which offers ample recreational opportunities for fishing,
	camping, boating, and waterskiing; and
	WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich history as they look forward
	to a bright future, the people of Grimes County are justifiably
	proud of their heritage and achievements, and their county's many
	contributions to the ongoing development of the Lone Star State are
	indeed deserving of special honor; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize March 5, 2009, as Grimes County Day at
	the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere
	best wishes for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin.
	Kolkhorst
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Peña
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 616 was adopted by the House on March
	5, 2009, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House