H.R. No. 717
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The city of Palacios is celebrating its centennial
  in 2009, and this occasion presents a welcome opportunity to pay
  tribute to the notable history of this Gulf Coast community; and
         WHEREAS, At the turn of the 20th century, the area along Tres
  Palacios Bay where the town is now located was used to pasture
  livestock, but big changes were at hand; in 1901, the Texas Rice
  Development Company bought the land, and the site was surveyed into
  lots the following year; businesses and homes were established, and
  an extension of the Southern Pacific rail line soon reached the
  community; by 1915, Palacios was a bustling town of 2,000 people;
  and
         WHEREAS, The bayside community was a tourism destination from
  the beginning, with a grand hotel and an overwater pavilion being
  constructed in the early years of the 1900s; today, visitors
  continue to enjoy the city's coastal locale and excellent
  opportunities for fishing, boating, and bird-watching; and
         WHEREAS, With its ready access to the Gulf of Mexico,
  Palacios also has a long history as a center for commercial fishing
  and seafood processing, and it hosts one of the largest shrimping
  fleets on the Gulf Coast; moreover, the town is home to the Texas
  State Marine Education Center, which allows youth and adults to
  take part in marine field studies and to learn about the coastal
  ecosystem; and
         WHEREAS, Now home to more than 5,000 residents, Palacios can
  reflect proudly on an eventful century of development even as it
  continues to relish the enduring beauty of the seaside surroundings
  that attracted its first citizens 100 years ago; now, therefore, be
  it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
  Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of the founding of
  Palacios and extend best wishes to the town's residents on this
  landmark anniversary.
 
  Weber
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 717 was adopted by the House on March
  10, 2009, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House