84R12511 JGH-D
 
  By: Guillen H.C.R. No. 77
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The vaquero is one of the iconic figures of the Lone
  Star State, and today the heritage of the vaqueros remains
  especially strong in Jim Hogg County, where they have played a
  fundamental role in that region's economy and culture since the
  arrival of the earliest settlers; and
         WHEREAS, Renowned for their horsemanship and stock-handling
  abilities, vaqueros were crucial to the advance of Spanish ranching
  into South Texas; from the mid-18th century onward, their skills
  and fortitude figured greatly in the development of large,
  open-range cattle ranches in the region south of the Nueces River;
  and
         WHEREAS, These ranches left an imprint on the landscape that
  is visible today in fortified stone blockhouses and in ranch
  outbuildings, in chapels and cemeteries, in hand-dug wells, and in
  man-made reservoirs that made it possible to assemble enormous
  herds of livestock for drives north; and
         WHEREAS, With the expansion of the Texas cattle industry in
  the 19th century, the vaquero's traditions came to shape ranching
  practices far beyond the Nueces; over the years, much of the
  vaquero's equipment--his chaps, bandana, sombrero, lasso, spurs,
  and saddle--became the standard gear of all Texas cowboys, while
  elements of his craft, such as mounted herding and roping
  techniques, also influenced early Anglo-American methods; the
  system of range management and working cattle that evolved in
  Texas, a system infused with vaquero lore, subsequently spread
  across the High Plains and western part of the United States; and
         WHEREAS, Endowed with soils better suited to livestock
  production than farming, the area of present-day Jim Hogg County
  has beckoned ranchers for the past two centuries; the first known
  grant within the borders of today's county was made to Xavier Vela
  in 1805 and encompassed nearly 18,000 acres; altogether, between
  1805 and 1836, approximately 25 grants were conferred within the
  county; and
         WHEREAS, Among the first ranches founded in the area were
  Randado, Las Noriacitas, Las Animas, San Antonio Viejo, Las
  Enramadas, Las Viboritas, El Baluarte, and San Javier, while
  important spreads in the latter 1800s included Randado, Las
  Noriacitas, San Javier, and El Sordo; and
         WHEREAS, Some of the earliest ranches to be established in
  Jim Hogg County are still held by descendants of the original
  owners; the most famous of these venerable ranches, Randado, was
  originally occupied in 1830 by Hipolito Garcia and is now one of the
  oldest continuously operated ranches in the nation; and
         WHEREAS, Formerly embracing more than 100,000 acres, Randado
  was famed both for its vast herd of Spanish ponies, which by the
  1870s numbered some 3,000 head, and for the fine leather and
  horsehair accoutrements fashioned by its vaqueros; the name of the
  ranch, in fact, refers to the production there of an elaborate style
  of lasso, the randa; Robert E. Lee, who spent time in Texas before
  the Civil War, wrote about his visit to Randado, and the ranch
  figured in literary works by John Houghton Allen, Tom Lea, and J.
  Frank Dobie; and
         WHEREAS, Ranching remains one of the chief pillars of the
  economy in Jim Hogg County, and most communities in the area have
  ranching roots or associations; Agua Nueva, Cuevitas, Guerra, and
  Randado all originated as ranching settlements; and
         WHEREAS, Hebbronville, the county seat, is located on land
  that once formed part of Las Noriacitas; the town's namesake, W. R.
  Hebbron, acquired the site from descendants of the original grantee
  about 1880, and in 1883 he established Hebbronville along the route
  of the Texas Mexican Railway; and
         WHEREAS, For a time, Hebbronville ranked as the largest
  cattle shipping center in the country, and to this day it is a hub of
  ranching activity; when award-winning director/producer Hector
  Galan made a documentary about the vaquero in the mid-1980s, he shot
  most of the film in Hebbronville, and the city hosts an annual
  Vaquero Festival every year, on the first weekend in November; and
         WHEREAS, Through a deep appreciation of the land and through
  expertise honed over centuries, the vaquero has contributed
  immeasurably to the settlement of South Texas and to the rich
  ranching heritage of the Lone Star State, and it is fitting that the
  county where he has played such a far-reaching role continue to be
  appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby redesignate Jim Hogg County as the official Vaquero Capital
  of Texas; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
  391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
  until the 10th anniversary of its designation.