|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Citizens of Presidio County are visiting Austin on |
|
this date in celebration of Presidio County Day at the State |
|
Capitol; and |
|
WHEREAS, An area steeped in history and possessed of a |
|
frontier mystique, Presidio County lies in the Trans-Pecos region |
|
of Southwest Texas and is bordered by the Rio Grande and Mexico; its |
|
desert terrain varies from rolling plains to canyons and volcanic |
|
cliffs and rises to some of the state's tallest mountain ranges, as |
|
well as to its highest waterfall, Capote Falls, with a drop of 175 |
|
feet; and |
|
WHEREAS, Diverse populations of Paleo-Indians once roamed |
|
Presidio County, and Jumanos, Apaches, and Comanches were present |
|
in the area when Spanish missions arrived in the 1680s; the |
|
outskirts of present-day Presidio, where corn farmers of the |
|
Cochise culture settled around 1500 B.C., is believed to contain |
|
the oldest continuously cultivated farmland in Texas, and in the |
|
19th century, a settlement was founded on Cibolo Creek by José |
|
Ygnacio Ronquillo, who was issued a constitutional land grant in |
|
1832; and |
|
WHEREAS, Presidio County was established from parts of the |
|
Bexar Land District on January 3, 1850, and organized a |
|
quarter-century later; initially the largest county in the United |
|
States at 12,000 square miles, it eventually relinquished land and |
|
today holds the claim of fourth-largest county in the state at |
|
nearly 3,860 square miles; its original county seat was Fort Davis, |
|
which became part of Jeff Davis County, and the Presidio County |
|
government relocated to Marfa two years after the town's founding |
|
in 1883; and |
|
WHEREAS, From the 1880s to the 1940s, silver mining was a |
|
leading industry in Presidio County after a silver deposit was |
|
found in the Chinati Mountains by local rancher and trader John W. |
|
Spencer; his discovery led to the opening of Presidio Mine, which |
|
would produce more than 32.6 million ounces of silver over the |
|
course of its existence; and |
|
WHEREAS, Today, the local economy is based primarily on |
|
agriculture; in the southern portion of the county, the loamy soil |
|
provides fertile ground for growing tomatoes, melons, onions, |
|
grain, and cotton, while ranchers have traditionally raised sheep |
|
and cattle, including the famed Highland Hereford, wherever there |
|
is adequate pastureland; although no permanent streams exist in the |
|
county, the completion of Elephant Butte Dam across the Rio Grande |
|
in 1910 created a reliable supply of irrigation water, greatly |
|
increasing farming production; and |
|
WHEREAS, Presidio, with a population of nearly 4,500, is the |
|
county's largest town and home to the Fort Leaton historic site, a |
|
public museum containing ruins, exhibits, and nature trails; the |
|
county seat of Marfa has some 2,000 people and boasts historical |
|
attractions as well as an active local arts scene, including the |
|
world-renowned Chinati Foundation; the town has become a popular |
|
tourist draw for its vintage charm and art and for the mysterious |
|
Marfa Lights, an atmospheric phenomenon first observed in the night |
|
sky in 1883; and |
|
WHEREAS, With its friendly people, majestic scenery, and |
|
sundry intangible qualities, Presidio County is truly a treasure of |
|
the Lone Star State, and it is indeed a pleasure to celebrate the |
|
heritage and contributions of this storied region; now, therefore, |
|
be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby recognize Presidio County Day at the State |
|
Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes |
|
for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. |
|
|
Nevárez |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 371 was adopted by the House on |
|
February 17, 2015, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|