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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Business and community leaders from San Patricio |
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County are gathering in Austin on April 30, 2013, to celebrate San |
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Patricio County Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated upon the broad coastal plain along the Gulf |
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of Mexico, this region was originally inhabited by the Karankawa |
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Indians; less than 30 years after Columbus discovered America, a |
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European explorer sailed into the bay behind Aransas Pass, and over |
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the next 200 years the territory was visited by Spanish and French |
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explorers and Mexican sheepherders; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1829, 200 Irish families from New York formed a |
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colony under a contract with the government of Mexico and founded |
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the town of San Patricio de Hibernia, after Saint Patrick, the |
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patron saint of Ireland; the town was the site of a battle during |
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the Texas Revolution in 1836, and later that same year, San Patricio |
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County was created by the new Republic of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, By 1860, San Patricio County was occupied by |
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ranchers and farmers, and during the Civil War, a Confederate fort |
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was placed at Aransas Pass to deal with smugglers, rustlers, and |
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Federal raiders; the county's economy was boosted in 1885 when the |
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San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was extended to Aransas |
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Harbor; the town of Sinton, named after an Ohio banker who had |
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invested in the area's development, was named county seat in 1893; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Oil and gas were discovered in the county in the |
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early 20th century, and the petroleum industry and agriculture |
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continue to be the foundation of the economy; cotton, sorghum, and |
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cattle are all major products, along with shrimp from the |
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commercial fisheries along the coast; the deepwater port at Aransas |
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Pass is easily accessible to northern markets by rail, highway, and |
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the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the residents of San Patricio County enjoy a |
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relaxed rural lifestyle while taking advantage of their proximity |
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to the urban amenities of Corpus Christi; hunters, birders, |
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kayakers, snorkelers, and devotees of sport fishing travel to the |
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county for its many opportunities for recreation; the county is |
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also home to the Welder Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest |
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privately endowed refuges in the world; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their colorful past even as they work to |
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build a bright future, the residents of San Patricio County may |
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indeed take great pride in this distinctive part of the Lone Star |
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State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 30, 2013, as San Patricio County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation |
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sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. |