SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to proclaim February 4, 2009, as Brownsville Day at the State Capitol and to welcome citizens of Brownsville to the State Capital and to the Texas Legislature; and

WHEREAS, Accompanying this distinguished group are representatives of the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, the Brownsville Independent School District, the Brownsville Navigation District, the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, the Brownsville Economic Development Council, the Brownsville Urban System, the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Port of Brownsville, Workforce Solutions Cameron, and Cameron County; and

WHEREAS, The site of Brownsville was originally established as part of the Espiritu Santo land grant in 1781 from Spain; when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico; the region was settled in 1826 as part of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico; it then became part of the Republic of Texas in 1836, and, briefly, in 1840, part of the Republic of the Rio Grande; the area around Brownsville became part of the United States in 1845 when Texas became a state, but the national sovereignty of the area was still disputed; and

WHEREAS, In 1846, President Polk sent General Zachary Taylor south to the Rio Grande and established Fort Texas, later Fort Brown, as the first permanent United States fort in Texas; its purpose was to defend the Rio Grande as the boundary of the United States after Texas became a state; this action resulted in the Mexican War of 1845, and subsequently the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo permanently established the north bank of the Rio Grande as being in Texas and the United States; and

WHEREAS, The town was first chartered as a city in Texas and the United States in 1848, by Charles Stillman; it was named in honor of Major Jacob Brown, who was killed in the initial action leading to the Mexican War; and

WHEREAS, Brownsville was considered to be vital to both the South and the North during the American Civil War; it was the only port available to the Confederacy to ship its cotton to Europe in exchange for war supplies, and it was the site of the battle of Palmito Ranch, the last battle of the Civil War, which was fought on May 13, 1865, six weeks after the surrender of the Confederacy at Appomattox, after which the Union Army regained control of Fort Brown in order to control the cotton supply and custom house; and

WHEREAS, Brownsville is the county seat of Cameron County, the largest city in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and the southernmost city in Texas; Brownsville has a variety of businesses, including international trade at the international sea and land ports, offshore and marine services, ecotourism and heritage tourism, shrimping, electronics, food processing, and warehouse distribution, which serve as a vital economic base; and

WHEREAS, The destination of thousands of visitors every year, the Brownsville area offers numerous historical sites and museums; it is a birdwatcher's utopia because of its location at the convergence of two major migratory flyways; the Gladys Porter Zoo boasts several endangered species, including the white rhinoceros and the lowland gorilla; and the 557-acre Sabal Palm Sanctuary harbors native plants and animals that do not occur elsewhere in the United States; all of these attractions make Brownsville a desirable destination for tourists and winter Texans; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st Legislature, hereby welcome the noteworthy visitors from the City of Brownsville; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the Brownsville delegation as an expression of the highest regard and esteem of the Texas Senate.

Lucio

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 4, 2009.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate