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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Wise County are visiting Austin on |
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February 21, 2017, to celebrate Wise County Day at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Located in the northwestern part of the state, Wise |
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County was established on January 23, 1856; the county was carved |
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out of Cooke County by legislative act and named in honor of Henry |
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A. Wise, a U.S. congressman from Virginia who had supported the |
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annexation of Texas; at the same time as it created Wise County, the |
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legislature decreed that its county seat be established within five |
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miles of the county's center, and two years later that new community |
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became known as Decatur, after the naval hero Stephen Decatur; and |
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WHEREAS, The eastern fork of the Chisholm Trail passed near |
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Decatur during the latter half of the 19th century, and the town |
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prospered as a shipping point and market for local farmers; today, |
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it is a center for natural gas production, specialty carbon and |
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graphite manufacturing, and health care, as well as marketing and |
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processing for area agribusiness; and |
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WHEREAS, Decatur is also home to some of the best |
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professional rodeo cowboys and bull riders in the world; among the |
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champions who live or train in the community are three-time |
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Professional Bull Riders World Champion Silvano Alves, PBR World |
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Champions Mike Lee and Guilherme Marchi, PBR Rookies of the Year |
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Joao Ricardo Vieira and Kaique Pacheco, and nine-time National |
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Finals Rodeo finalist steer wrestler K. C. Jones, as well as the |
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most decorated rodeo cowboy of all time, with 23 world |
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championships and 13 all-around titles, Trevor Brazile; the famed |
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Cooper family of rodeo cowboys also lives in Decatur, including the |
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patriarch and Texas Rodeo Hall of Famer Roy Cooper; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors are drawn by such historic attractions as |
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the Waggoner Mansion, the Wise County Heritage Museum, the Wise |
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County Veterans Park, and the pink granite Wise County Courthouse, |
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which was completed in 1896; Wise County is home to a variety of |
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recreational opportunities provided by Lake Bridgeport, Eagle |
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Mountain Lake, and the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands; |
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in addition, area residents commemorate their heritage with the |
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annual Butterfield Stage Days Festival in May, the Wise County Old |
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Settlers Reunion in July, and the Chisholm Trail Days and Western |
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Heritage Festival in September; and |
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WHEREAS, Celebrating their history as they embrace the |
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opportunities of the future, the citizens of Wise County take great |
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pride in their community, and it is indeed fitting to honor their |
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unique contributions to the story of the Lone Star State; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 21, 2017, as Wise County Day |
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at the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the visiting |
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delegation for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin. |