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