By: Guillen H.R. No. 784

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Jim Hogg County are celebrating their county's centennial in 2013, and this milestone offers a welcome opportunity to recognize the notable role this area has played in the development of the Lone Star State; and

WHEREAS, Situated in South Texas, just north of the Rio Grande Valley, the approximately 1,100 square miles that make up Jim Hogg County have been inhabited for possibly as long as 11,000 years; the county seat of Hebbronville is located on what was once part of the 1767 Spanish land grant to Simon Hinojosa called "Noriacitas"; in the early 1800s, settlers from Mexico began establishing ranches on land grants awarded by the Spanish and, later, the Mexican government; the headquarters of those ranches gradually became the focal point of communities composed of vaqueros and their families; Anglo settlers, who began to arrive in the vicinity in the 1830s, generally became assimilated into the prevailing ranching culture; and

WHEREAS, It was not until after Texas joined the Union that the state began to organize counties in the borderlands, and the boundaries of those early counties shifted over time, as the population grew; in 1913, a group of Hebbronville citizens petitioned for the creation of a new county, partly owing to the distance they had to travel in order to conduct business in the county seat of Falfurrias; the Texas Legislature granted their wish in March of that year, establishing a new jurisdiction with land carved out of Brooks and Duval Counties; named for the first native Texan to serve as governor of Texas, Jim Hogg County was officially established on September 1, 1913, with Hebbronville as the county seat; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1883 on the Texas Mexican Railway line, Hebbronville became a ranching center and a major shipping point for livestock, as well as the seat of county government; with the discovery of oil in the county in 1921, the city also became an oil field center; the influx of oil field workers increased the town's population from an estimated 500 in 1920 to 1,800 by 1927; to meet the needs of its citizens, Hebbronville established a public school district in 1921, and five years later the town acquired a newspaper, the Jim Hogg County Enterprise; and

WHEREAS, Through the decades, ranching and the oil and gas industry have remained the mainstays of the county's economy; the area's rich cattle-raising tradition is a point of pride, and in 2005 the county was officially designated the Vaquero Capital of Texas; the annual Vaquero Festival takes place in Hebbronville each November; and

WHEREAS, Hebbronville now has several nationwide stores, nationally known Hillcrest Tortilla factory, three major banks and one savings and loan; the most valuable resource has been Jim Hogg County's people who now work around the world in the oil and gas industries, in education and on innumerable professional endeavors; and

WHEREAS, Today, Jim Hogg County is home to some 5,300 Texans, and its citizens benefit from the able leadership of county judge Guadalupe Canales and county commissioners Linda Joe Soliz, Valo Alaniz, Sandalio Ruiz, and Juan Lino Ramirez; and

WHEREAS, in Texas, there are former Jim Hogg County residents who are school principals, superintendents, college professors, engineers, architects, inventors, television stars, movie producers, oil and gas consultants; men and women from Jim Hogg County continue to proudly serve our country around the world in all branches of the military and federal law enforcement agencies defending America's borders, freedoms, and citizens from terrorism and other threats; and

WHEREAS, currently, with its numerous historic ranches, Jim Hogg County is well known for white tail deer, quail, and dove hunting; the oil and gas companies are now servicing hydraulic fracking in the various oil and gas shale formations around the area; and

WHEREAS, With its vibrant heritage, industrious people, and valuable natural resources, Jim Hogg County is contributing to the ongoing story of the Lone Star State, and it is fitting that the county's first 100 years be recognized and celebrated; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of Jim Hogg County and extend to its residents sincere best wishes for the future.