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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Loving County are gathering in |
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Austin to celebrate Loving County Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, The geographically smallest county in the Permian |
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Basin, Loving County lies to the east of the Pecos River in the |
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Chihuahuan Desert along the Texas-New Mexico border; its 674 square |
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miles of desert, low rolling hills, playas, and dry draws were |
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carved out of Tom Green County in 1887 and named in honor of Oliver |
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Loving, an early Texas cattleman; privately organized by |
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out-of-state businessmen in 1893, the county was officially |
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attached to Reeves County by the state legislature four years |
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later; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1931, Loving County was reorganized, becoming the |
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only Texas county to be organized twice and the last to be |
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established; its fortunes had risen with the discovery of oil in the |
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1920s and the founding of the town of Ramsey; new residents came to |
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the community from the nearby settlement of Porterville and beyond; |
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as the county seat, Ramsey was soon given the name of Mentone, which |
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originally designated the old, abandoned county seat 12 miles to |
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the north; the historic Loving County Courthouse was built in |
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Mentone in 1935; and |
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WHEREAS, Cattle ranching has remained an important part of |
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the local economy since the 1800s, but oil and gas production, the |
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primary industry, has become even more dominant in recent years; |
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while Loving County has long ranked as the most rural county in the |
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nation--and with 95 citizens now living there, is among the least |
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populous--the number of residents has grown with the energy boom, |
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and more people come during the day to work in the oil fields; |
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still, the wide-open spaces of Western songs are no mere memory |
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here, and the abundant wildlife includes quail, deer, javelinas, |
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bobcats, coyotes, and armadillos; and |
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WHEREAS, Citizens may take great pride in the rugged beauty |
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and rich traditions of Loving County as they look forward to the |
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myriad challenges and opportunities of the future; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize Loving County Day at the State Capitol |
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and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an |
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informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |