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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Port Lavaca Day is taking place at the State Capitol |
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on March 11, 2009, and this event provides a welcome opportunity to |
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pay tribute to the rich history and many achievements of this |
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prominent community on the Texas Gulf Coast; and |
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WHEREAS, Located on a bluff above Lavaca Bay, the town was |
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founded in the early 1840s; it quickly developed into the busiest |
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port in the area and was chosen as the county seat for Calhoun |
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County in 1846, though it lost that status to the nearby port of |
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Indianola six years later; competition with the rival town slowed |
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Port Lavaca's growth in the mid-1800s, but it ultimately regained |
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its prominence and its title as county seat after Indianola was |
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abandoned in the 1880s due to hurricane damage; and |
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WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1920s, Port Lavaca became an |
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important center for processing shrimp and other seafood; in the |
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following decades, the town began serving the oil and gas companies |
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and the aluminum plants and other industries that were established |
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in the area; today, those businesses remain a central part of the |
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city's economy, as do the agricultural and livestock operations in |
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Calhoun County; and |
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WHEREAS, Port Lavaca's bayside setting has also made it a |
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popular tourism destination since the late 1800s, and it offers a |
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number of exceptional attractions for visitors; anglers can cast a |
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line from several lighted fishing piers on the bay, and Lighthouse |
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Beach offers white sand, a boardwalk, and R.V. and camping |
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facilities; the beach also has special bird-watching areas, and the |
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city makes a great base of operations for visiting other birding |
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spots along the coast; vacationers of all sorts enjoy Port Lavaca's |
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Main Street shopping district and interesting historical sights |
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such as the Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse, the state's oldest surviving |
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wooden lighthouse; and |
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WHEREAS, The residents of Port Lavaca are justifiably proud |
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of their city's heritage and of the many qualities that make their |
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community a great place to live and to visit, and they are to be |
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commended for their contributions to the ongoing prosperity of the |
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Lone Star State; 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 11, 2009, as Port Lavaca Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the visiting delegation |
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for an enjoyable and productive stay in Austin. |