| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Van Zandt County are gathering at |
|
|
the State Capitol on February 25, 2015, to commemorate Van Zandt |
|
|
County Day and to celebrate the significant role their home has |
|
|
played in the story of the Lone Star State; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Created by an Act of the Texas Legislature on March |
|
|
20, 1848, this county in the northeast region of Texas was named for |
|
|
Isaac Van Zandt, a lawyer who served as a legislator and diplomat |
|
|
for the Republic of Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Canton, the county seat, was laid out in 1850 and |
|
|
incorporated in 1919; designated a Main Street City in 2001, it is |
|
|
home to the Van Zandt County Fair and Rodeo, as well as one of the |
|
|
nation's best-known flea markets, First Monday Trade Days; the city |
|
|
is also the location of the Library of Genealogy and Local History, |
|
|
which preserves the county's heritage and draws researchers from |
|
|
far and near; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The county's other notable communities include Ben |
|
|
Wheeler, which was named in 1878 for Benjamin F. Wheeler, an early |
|
|
mail carrier in Van Zandt County; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Edgewood, which was first settled in the 1840s, |
|
|
hosts the Edgewood Heritage Festival every November at the Heritage |
|
|
Park Museum; this popular attraction is dedicated to the |
|
|
preservation of rural culture and architecture; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Named after a figure from the Bible, Edom is one of |
|
|
the oldest towns in the county, and it is home to 11 state |
|
|
historical markers, many of them researched by members of the Edom |
|
|
Historical Society; the residents of this small community also give |
|
|
hearty support to an active civic theater and popular arts fairs; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A 1901 petition by local fruit growers prompted the |
|
|
renaming of Bolan Switch to Fruitvale; the town had boasted a fruit |
|
|
nursery as early as the 1870s and also had a lumber shipping |
|
|
business by the second decade of the 20th century, but Fruitvale was |
|
|
not incorporated until the 1960s; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Originally called Jordan's Saline, Grand Saline was |
|
|
the first county seat, and it takes its name from an immense dome of |
|
|
pure salt that lies beneath the city; more than a mile and a half |
|
|
wide and 16,000 feet thick, the deposit is now mined by the Morton |
|
|
Salt company; named a Main Street City in 2004, the community |
|
|
celebrates its heritage with the Salt Palace, a house built out of |
|
|
salt blocks, and an annual Salt Festival; the town is also the |
|
|
birthplace of pioneer aviator Wiley Post, whose life is |
|
|
commemorated with a historical marker; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Martin's Mill was established in the valley of Cream |
|
|
Level Creek before the Civil War; it got its name from Daniel |
|
|
G. Martin, who opened a gin and gristmill there in 1875; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The community of Van was established in 1894, and it |
|
|
remained a quiet farming community until 1929, when the discovery |
|
|
of oil in the area transformed the village into a boomtown; the Van |
|
|
Area Oil and Historical Museum and the annual Oil Festival |
|
|
recapture the excitement of that time; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Wills Point was named for William Wills, who settled |
|
|
in the area in the 1840s and whose homestead became a way station |
|
|
for travelers; his original cabin still stands in Bruce Park, and |
|
|
the old Texas and Pacific Railroad depot features exhibits of local |
|
|
history; as the official Bluebird Capital of Texas, Wills Point |
|
|
hosts the annual Bluebird Festival every April; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Major events in the county include the Western Swing |
|
|
Valentine Party in Canton, the Edom Festival of the Arts, and the |
|
|
Relay for Life of Van Zandt County; for the outdoor enthusiast, the |
|
|
Neches and Sabine Rivers, Purtis Creek State Park, and Lake |
|
|
Tawakoni State Park offer fine opportunities for fishing, boating, |
|
|
swimming, camping, and hiking; home to more than 52,000 people, the |
|
|
county prospers thanks to agriculture, oil and gas, and tourism; |
|
|
the region is a major producer of hay, sweet potatoes, beef cattle, |
|
|
and nursery crops; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The people of Van Zandt County take great pride in |
|
|
their rich history even as they work together to build a bright |
|
|
future, and it is indeed fitting to honor them and their unique |
|
|
region of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 25, 2015, as Van Zandt County |
|
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the visiting |
|
|
residents of the county for a meaningful and memorable stay in |
|
|
Austin. |