| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Van Zandt County have come to |
|
|
the State Capitol on February 16, 2011, to celebrate the |
|
|
significant part they and their forebears have played in the |
|
|
development of the Lone Star State; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Created by an Act of the Texas Legislature on March |
|
|
20, 1847, this Northeast Texas county was named for Isaac Van Zandt, |
|
|
a Republic of Texas lawyer, legislator, and diplomat; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Canton, the county seat, was laid out in 1850 and |
|
|
incorporated in 1919; recently named a Main Street City, it is home |
|
|
to the Van Zandt County Fair and First Monday Trade Days, one of the |
|
|
country's best-known flea markets; a library of genealogy and local |
|
|
history is also a popular attraction and preserves much of the |
|
|
county's notable heritage; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The development of this fascinating area can be |
|
|
traced in a number of other communities as well; Edgewood, settled |
|
|
in the 1840s, boasts the Edgewood Heritage Park Museum, a facility |
|
|
dedicated to the preservation of rural cultural and architectural |
|
|
history; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Edom, established in 1856, is one of the oldest |
|
|
towns in the county, and its past is highlighted by 10 state |
|
|
historical markers, many of them researched by members of the Edom |
|
|
Historical Society; the residents of this small community also give |
|
|
hearty support to an active civic theater; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Fruit cultivation prompted the naming of Fruitvale, |
|
|
where a nursery operated as early as the 1870s; several generations |
|
|
in this century-old town have treasured the Randall Store, a local |
|
|
institution since 1910; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Grand Saline, originally called Jordan's Saline, |
|
|
the first Van Zandt County seat, takes its name from an immense dome |
|
|
of pure salt lying beneath the city; more than a mile and a half wide |
|
|
and 20,000 feet thick, the deposit is presently mined by Morton Salt |
|
|
Company; the city celebrates salt with an annual Salt Festival; |
|
|
those exploring this 2004 Main Street City can tour the Salt Palace |
|
|
Museum, a unique structure built with rock salt crystal, stop by the |
|
|
historical marker that commemorates native son Wiley Post, the |
|
|
renowned pioneer aviator, and visit the new Veterans Memorial Wall |
|
|
Park, featuring a genuine U.S. Army tank; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Van, established in 1891, remained a quiet farming |
|
|
community until 1929, when the discovery of oil nearby transformed |
|
|
the village into a boomtown; the Van Area Oil and Historical Museum |
|
|
recaptures the excitement of that frenetic time and commemorates |
|
|
the discovery with an annual Oil Festival; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Wills Point, settled in 1873 and originally known as |
|
|
Iola, was renamed for William Wills, whose cabin served as a |
|
|
stopping place for those traveling between Shreveport and Dallas; |
|
|
the Wills cabin still stands, as does the Texas and Pacific Railroad |
|
|
depot, which houses the Historical Society Museum; Wills Point, |
|
|
which is officially the Bluebird Capital of Texas, hosts the annual |
|
|
Bluebird Festival; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Ben Wheeler, surrounded by natural springs and rich |
|
|
farmland, was named for Van Zandt County's first mail carrier, |
|
|
Benjamin R. Wheeler, in 1876; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Martins Mill, which got its name from Dan R. |
|
|
Martin's gristmill, was established in 1880 and is home to one of |
|
|
the largest dairies in East Texas; the community survived |
|
|
destruction by tornadoes and fires and today boasts a successful |
|
|
school district; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Major events in the county include the Texas State |
|
|
Bluegrass Festival, the Edom Festival of the Arts, and the Van Zandt |
|
|
County Relay for Life; for the outdoor enthusiast, the Neches and |
|
|
Sabine Rivers, Purtis Creek State Park, and Lake Tawakoni State |
|
|
Park offer wonderful opportunities for fishing, boating, swimming, |
|
|
and camping; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The home of more than 50,000 people, Van Zandt |
|
|
County relies on tourism, oil, and agribusiness; the area is a major |
|
|
producer of hay, blueberries, sweet potatoes, and nursery crops, in |
|
|
addition to cattle, horses, hogs, and dairy products; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The citizens of Van Zandt County take justifiable |
|
|
pride in the hard work and ready cooperation that have made their |
|
|
county strong, and it is a pleasure to join them in honoring the |
|
|
county they are proud to call home; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 16, 2011, as Van Zandt County |
|
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend sincere best wishes to the |
|
|
visiting Van Zandt residents for an informative and memorable day. |