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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, For more than a quarter of a century, the El Paso |
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Mission Trail Association has been dedicated to promoting the |
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historic sites along the El Paso Mission Trail and to commemorating |
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the First Thanksgiving of the Southwest; and |
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WHEREAS, Featured along the trail are the Ysleta Mission, |
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which was founded in 1682 by the Tigua Indians and is the second |
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oldest continuously active parish in the United States, the Socorro |
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Mission, which was established in 1691 and is the second oldest |
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mission in this state, and Presidio Chapel of San Elizario, which |
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was built in 1877 on the site of an old Spanish presidio; and |
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WHEREAS, The El Paso Mission Trail is a nine-mile corridor |
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linking the three structures, and in 1986, historian Sheldon Hall |
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chartered the El Paso Mission Trail Association, which works with |
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other organizations to preserve these treasured buildings, to |
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promote the growth of the arts and the economy of the Mission Trail |
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area, and to celebrate the diverse cultures of El Paso; and |
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WHEREAS, One important event to which the association |
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contributes is the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures |
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Conference and Commemoration that is held annually in April; this |
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event celebrates the journey of explorer Juan de Onate who traveled |
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with hundreds of colonists to cross the Chihuahuan Desert from |
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Santa Barbara in Mexico; exhausted and famished, the expedition |
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reached San Elizario in April 1598, and on April 30, they joined |
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with indigenous people in a festival and mass to give thanks for |
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their safe arrival; and |
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WHEREAS, The Mission Trail Association is made up of |
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volunteers who love their community and seek to preserve their |
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heritage, and their impressive commitment and ongoing endeavors |
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will ensure that current and future generations can learn from both |
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the tragedies and the glories of the past; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the El Paso Mission Trail Association |
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for its promotion and preservation of the trail and extend sincere |
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best wishes to its members for continued success with their |
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important work; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the association as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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M. Gonzalez of El Paso |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2791 was adopted by the House on May |
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24, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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