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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Citizens from Howard County are gathering in Austin |
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to celebrate Howard County Day at the State Capitol on February 10, |
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2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Nestled between the Caprock escarpment and the |
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Edwards Plateau, this region of the West Texas High Plains is home |
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to the "big spring" in Sulphur Draw; the nearby town of Big Spring |
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began as a settlement of buffalo hunters in the 1870s; and |
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WHEREAS, Howard County was organized in 1882, with Big Spring |
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as the county seat; situated on the Texas and Pacific Railway, the |
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town also became an important shipping point for livestock and |
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produce; the community of Coahoma developed as a trading center |
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with the arrival of the railroad in the early 1880s, while Forsan |
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was established at the height of the county's oil boom in the 1920s; |
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during World War II, Howard County became the site of the Big Spring |
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Army Air Corps Bombardier School, which trained more than 5,000 |
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men; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Howard County thrives as a center for oil and |
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gas production, farming and ranching, transportation, and |
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manufacturing, and the county looks to the future of energy |
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production with its wind turbine farms; the McMahon-Wrinkle Airport |
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further contributes to the area's economy, and the ongoing |
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development of the city's downtown historic district is |
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revitalizing the entire community; and |
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WHEREAS, A regional hub for health care, Big Spring is home to |
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a veterans hospital, a state mental health facility, and a |
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rehabilitation center, and it is the location of Howard College and |
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the Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy fine |
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opportunities for recreation at Big Spring State Park, Moss Lake, |
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and Comanche Trail Park, where the annual Festival of Lights is |
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held; the region's colorful past is celebrated at the Heritage |
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Museum and the Hangar 25 Air Museum; the town also plays host to the |
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Annual Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply devoted to their communities and to the land |
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that has shaped them, the people of Howard County may take |
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justifiable pride in all that they have accomplished over the |
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years, knowing that the robust spirit of earlier generations is |
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alive and well in their own; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 10, 2015, as Howard 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 stay in Austin. |
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Darby |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 308 was adopted by the House on |
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February 10, 2015, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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