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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Citizens from Howard County are gathering in Austin |
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to celebrate Howard County Day at the State Capitol on February 9, |
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2011; and |
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WHEREAS, Nestled between the Caprock escarpment and the |
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Edwards Plateau, this scenic region of the West Texas High Plains is |
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home to the "big spring" in Sulphur Draw; the nearby town of Big |
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Spring began as a settlement of buffalo hunters in the 1870s; and |
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WHEREAS, Howard County was organized in 1882, with Big Spring |
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as the county seat; situated on the Texas and Pacific Railway, the |
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town also became an important shipping point for livestock and |
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produce; the community of Coahoma developed as a trading center |
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with the arrival of the railroad in the early 1880s, while Forsan |
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was established at the height of the county's oil boom in the 1920s; |
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during World War II, Howard County became the site of the Big Spring |
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Army Air Corps Bombardier School, which trained more than 5,000 |
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men; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Howard County continues to thrive as a center |
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for the petroleum industry, farming and ranching, and |
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manufacturing; the county looks to the future of energy production |
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with its four wind turbine farms, and the expansion of the |
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McMahon-Wrinkle Airport is further contributing to the area's |
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economy; and |
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WHEREAS, A regional hub for health care and quality |
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education, Big Spring is home to a veterans hospital, a state mental |
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health facility, and a rehabilitation center, as well as Howard |
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College and the Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy the fine |
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opportunities for recreation at Big Spring State Park and Comanche |
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Trail Park, and the region's colorful past is celebrated at the |
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Heritage Museum and the Hangar 25 Air Museum; the ongoing |
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redevelopment and restoration of Big Spring's newly created |
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downtown historic district further preserves the county's |
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heritage; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply devoted to their communities and to the land |
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that has shaped them, the people of Howard County may take |
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justifiable pride in all that they have accomplished over the |
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years, knowing that the robust spirit of earlier generations is |
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alive and well in their own; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 9, 2011, as Howard County Day |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
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best wishes for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin. |