| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, On April 15, 2009, people from across Winkler County |
|
|
are traveling to the State Capitol to celebrate their county's |
|
|
heritage and to share with fellow Texans their history, traditions, |
|
|
and achievements; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The Anasazi were the earliest known people in the |
|
|
Winkler County area; in the 1880s, cattlemen established large |
|
|
ranches on free state land and Winkler County was carved out of part |
|
|
of Tom Green County; its name honors Clinton M. Winkler, a member of |
|
|
the state legislature and justice of the Court of Civil Appeals; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, On April 5, 1910, the county was officially |
|
|
organized, and the town of Kermit, named after Theodore Roosevelt's |
|
|
son, was chosen as the county seat; the discovery of oil nearby in |
|
|
1926 brought so many people that many residents lived in tents and |
|
|
makeshift shelters, and a new town, Winkler, also sprang up; when |
|
|
the postal authorities advised that another town in Texas had |
|
|
already claimed that name, it was swiftly shortened to Wink; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, During the early boom years, Wink acquired a |
|
|
reputation as a wild, freewheeling place; now, although its economy |
|
|
is still based on the petroleum industry and ranching, it is perhaps |
|
|
better known as the hometown of music legend Roy Orbison; his first |
|
|
band, the Wink Westerners, made its radio debut on Kermit station |
|
|
KERB, and the Roy Orbison Museum is today one of the town's most |
|
|
interesting attractions; Kermit gained celebrity luster more |
|
|
recently when the Disney company threw a 50th birthday party there |
|
|
for beloved Muppet Kermit the Frog; the town made national |
|
|
headlines as it celebrated in style, renaming a street in honor of |
|
|
the Sesame Street star and repainting the water tower with his |
|
|
likeness; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Winkler County holds a notable place in frontier |
|
|
history, and through the years, its towns have demonstrated a |
|
|
unique West Texas flair; its residents can indeed take pride in this |
|
|
colorful past as they look forward to a bright future; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize April 15, 2009, as Winkler County Day |
|
|
at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
|
|
best wishes for an enjoyable and productive visit to Austin. |