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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Citizens of Grimes County are coming together at the |
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State Capitol to celebrate Grimes County Day on March 5, 2009; and |
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WHEREAS, A landscape of lush forests and verdant savannah, |
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the area that would later become Grimes County was inhabited by the |
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Bidai people when Europeans first arrived in the region in the late |
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1600s; it is thought that the famous French explorer La Salle met |
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his untimely end near present-day Navasota in 1687, murdered by his |
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own men; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1820s, Anglo settlers began to move into the |
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region, drawn by the rich bottomlands along the Navasota and Brazos |
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Rivers; one of the first cotton crops in Texas was planted in the |
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county, and with Anderson as its county seat, Grimes County was |
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established in 1846 and named after Jesse Grimes, a signer of the |
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Texas Declaration of Independence; and |
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WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroad in 1859 helped promote |
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the growth of Navasota as a center of commerce, while two spas |
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established in the 1850s, Kellum Springs and Piedmont Springs, drew |
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many visitors to the county; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the area's prosperity is based on livestock, |
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agribusiness, and light manufacturing; the harvesting of timber, |
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lignite coal, and natural gas also contributes to the economy of the |
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region; and |
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WHEREAS, Officially designated the Blues Capital of Texas by |
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the 79th Texas Legislature in 2005, Navasota hosts the annual |
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BluesFest to commemorate the famous blues musician and native son |
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Mance Lipscomb and to raise money for a scholarship in his name; the |
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town is equally renowned for its picturesque downtown and |
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Victorian-style houses, and its history is showcased in the Horlock |
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History Center, a restored 1892 home; and |
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WHEREAS, Anderson boasts the striking Grimes County |
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Courthouse, constructed of handmade bricks in 1894 and restored in |
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2002; the town is also home to the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, |
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a restored 19th-century stagecoach stop that hosted such famous |
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figures as Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson; and |
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WHEREAS, Residents and visitors alike enjoy the colorful |
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Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville every October and |
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November; another popular attraction is Gibbons Creek Reservoir, |
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which offers ample recreational opportunities for fishing, |
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camping, boating, and waterskiing; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich history as they look forward |
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to a bright future, the people of Grimes County are justifiably |
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proud of their heritage and achievements, and their county's many |
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contributions to the ongoing development of the Lone Star State are |
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indeed deserving of special honor; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 5, 2009, as Grimes County Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
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best wishes for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin. |