85R10336 KSM-D

By: King of Parker H.R. No. 483

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Residents of Wise County are visiting Austin on February 21, 2017, to celebrate Wise County Day at the State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, Located in the northwestern part of the state, Wise County was established on January 23, 1856; the county was carved out of Cooke County by legislative act and named in honor of Henry A. Wise, a U.S. congressman from Virginia who had supported the annexation of Texas; at the same time as it created Wise County, the legislature decreed that its county seat be established within five miles of the county's center, and two years later that new community became known as Decatur, after the naval hero Stephen Decatur; and

WHEREAS, The eastern fork of the Chisholm Trail passed near Decatur during the latter half of the 19th century, and the town prospered as a shipping point and market for local farmers; today, it is a center for natural gas production, specialty carbon and graphite manufacturing, and health care, as well as marketing and processing for area agribusiness; and

WHEREAS, Decatur is also home to some of the best professional rodeo cowboys and bull riders in the world; among the champions who live or train in the community are three-time Professional Bull Riders World Champion Silvano Alves, PBR World Champions Mike Lee and Guilherme Marchi, PBR Rookies of the Year Joao Ricardo Vieira and Kaique Pacheco, and nine-time National Finals Rodeo finalist steer wrestler K. C. Jones, as well as the most decorated rodeo cowboy of all time, with 23 world championships and 13 all-around titles, Trevor Brazile; the famed Cooper family of rodeo cowboys also lives in Decatur, including the patriarch and Texas Rodeo Hall of Famer Roy Cooper; and

WHEREAS, Visitors are drawn by such historic attractions as the Waggoner Mansion, the Wise County Heritage Museum, the Wise County Veterans Park, and the pink granite Wise County Courthouse, which was completed in 1896; Wise County is home to a variety of recreational opportunities provided by Lake Bridgeport, Eagle Mountain Lake, and the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands; in addition, area residents commemorate their heritage with the annual Butterfield Stage Days Festival in May, the Wise County Old Settlers Reunion in July, and the Chisholm Trail Days and Western Heritage Festival in September; and

WHEREAS, Celebrating their history as they embrace the opportunities of the future, the citizens of Wise County take great pride in their community, and it is indeed fitting to honor their unique contributions to the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby recognize February 21, 2017, as Wise County Day at the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the visiting delegation for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin.