| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Hopkins County are gathering in |
|
|
Austin on March 9, 2017, to celebrate Hopkins County Day at the |
|
|
State Capitol; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Hopkins County has an area of 789 square miles with |
|
|
both blackland prairie and piney wood terrain; originally inhabited |
|
|
by the Caddo and then the Cherokee people, the county was created in |
|
|
1846 and named for a family of pioneers; Sulphur Springs was made |
|
|
the county seat in 1870; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Corn, wheat, sheep, and cattle were important in the |
|
|
19th century, but cotton became the dominant crop between 1890 and |
|
|
1930; in 1937 the Carnation Milk Company opened a processing plant |
|
|
in the county, and its presence, in conjunction with better road and |
|
|
rail transportation, allowed dairy farming to become the major |
|
|
agricultural undertaking; in 1990 the county boasted nearly 500 |
|
|
dairies supplying 17 percent of the state's total milk; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, Hopkins County has a population of over |
|
|
36,000, with approximately 16,000 people residing in Sulphur |
|
|
Springs; along with dairy production, tourism and food processing |
|
|
and distribution are mainstays of the economy, as are beef cattle |
|
|
and breeding horses; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Sulphur Springs features a number of popular |
|
|
attractions, including the Southwest Dairy Center and Museum, the |
|
|
Leo St. Clair Music Box Museum, and the Hopkins County Heritage |
|
|
Museum and Park; the city's striking all-glass restroom downtown |
|
|
has drawn national attention and was the first of its kind in the |
|
|
United States; moreover, the area is a well-known center for |
|
|
aquatic recreation, with Lake Fork and Cooper Lake State Park |
|
|
offering opportunities for trophy bass fishing, as well as boating |
|
|
and swimming; bird-watchers, hikers, and campers also seek out the |
|
|
county, and special events like the Texas State Champion Homemade |
|
|
Ice Cream Freeze Off at the Hopkins County Dairy Festival in June |
|
|
are enjoyed by residents and visitors alike; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Hopkins County is one of the Lone Star State's true |
|
|
treasures, and its citizens may take great pride in the history and |
|
|
character of their splendid communities; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize March 9, 2017, as Hopkins County Day |
|
|
at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
|
|
best wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |