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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 123
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WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is being |
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celebrated February 7, 2017, and the Texas Senate takes great |
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pleasure in recognizing this region and its citizens who have |
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contributed to the development of the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 1500s, Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca |
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explored the area known today as Jim Wells County, and his |
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records tell of tuna and prickly pear festivals held annually by |
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his coastal Indian captors around the present-day City of |
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Alice; and |
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WHEREAS, The area figures prominently in the early days of |
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Texas; the land became a part of Texas after it gained its |
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independence from Mexico in 1836; when early settlers to the |
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region arrived in 1850, N. G. Collins already had extensive |
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landholdings in the area and became the namesake for a town |
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established east of where Alice is now located; the town was |
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short-lived, since the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was |
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built two miles west of the community when landowners refused to |
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sell the right-of-way through the town; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1886, a new town developed where two rail lines |
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intersected; after several name changes, the new town of Alice, |
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named for Alice King, began to develop economically; located at |
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that time in the northwestern part of Nueces County, the town |
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eventually became the largest cattle-shipping point in the |
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world; and |
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WHEREAS, Jim Wells County was created and organized by the |
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Texas Legislature on March 11, 1911, and the City of Alice became |
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the county seat; originally a part of Nueces County, the county |
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was named for a prominent political figure and land developer, |
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James B. Wells Jr., who was also the purchasing agent for the King |
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Ranch; and |
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WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is a valuable agricultural area |
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that has contributed significantly to the development of the |
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southwestern part of the United States; since the mid-1800s, when |
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the famous Chisholm Trail passed through the county, the cattle |
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industry has played a major role in the area's economy; mesquite |
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brush and grasses in the western part provide ideal grazing |
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conditions for livestock, and coastal plains to the east produce |
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coastal Bermuda and vegetables; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1936, the first notable oil activity in the |
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county was initiated, and the first major oil producer, The Texas |
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Royalty Corporation and Lucy Petroleum Company One, was |
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established northeast of Alice; the oil rush brought many new |
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families to Jim Wells County; and |
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WHEREAS, The City of Alice is situated in the geographical |
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heart of South Texas and along the "Texas Tropical Trail" and is |
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known as the "Hub of South Texas" due to its strategic location at |
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the intersection of State Highway 44 and United States Highway |
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281; its proximity to primary United States-Mexico trade routes |
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connecting Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley with the Port of |
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Corpus Christi has contributed to the area's development into a |
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major "Hub of International Trade"; United States Highway 281 was |
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named in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 as a |
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key link in the future I-69 NAFTA Superhighway System; and |
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WHEREAS, The county's economy has benefited not only from |
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the oil business, ranching, cattle shipping, and cotton and grain |
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production, but also from a fine public school system, a modern |
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hospital, and an expanding health-related service industry; and |
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WHEREAS, The history of Jim Wells County has been carefully |
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preserved at the South Texas Museum, which has been designated a |
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Texas Historical Landmark; donated by the McGill family, the |
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museum was the family's old ranch headquarters; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County are justifiably |
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proud of their unique heritage and have retained the social |
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fabric of their culture through fiestas, county fairs, rodeos, |
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and outdoor activities such as hunting and water sports; and |
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WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is an |
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appropriate occasion for the Texas Senate to recognize the |
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residents of Jim Wells County and to commend them for their |
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excellent accomplishments; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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Legislature, hereby declare February 7, 2017, Jim Wells County |
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Day at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Jim Wells County |
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as they celebrate their county's many assets; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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the citizens of Jim Wells County as an expression of esteem from |
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the Texas Senate. |
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Hinojosa |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 7, 2017. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |