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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Jeff Davis County are gathering |
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in Austin to celebrate Jeff Davis County Day at the State Capitol; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, This austerely beautiful region of canyons and |
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windswept plateaus is home to the Davis Mountains, which were first |
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inhabited by prehistoric peoples more than a thousand years ago; in |
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1849, the U.S. Army opened a wagon road from San Antonio to El Paso |
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through the mountains, and in 1854, the army established a fort on |
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the former site of a Native American village; ranchers moved into |
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the area in the 1880s, and Jeff Davis County was organized in 1887 |
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with Fort Davis as the county seat; the military post was abandoned |
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in 1891; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, ranching and tourism continue to be the |
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mainstays of the county's economy; the county seat is home to the |
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Fort Davis National Historic Site, which preserves the history and |
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heritage of the frontier cavalry fort; the nearby Chihuahuan Desert |
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Nature Center features 507 acres of rolling grassland and |
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oak-covered hills, as well as a desert botanical garden and a |
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greenhouse; visitors are also drawn by the fine opportunities for |
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camping, birding, hiking, and horseback riding in Davis Mountains |
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State Park, and by the 74-mile scenic highway that winds through the |
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mountains; and |
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WHEREAS, The county is home to the McDonald Observatory of |
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The University of Texas at Austin and its Hobby-Eberly Telescope, |
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one of the largest optical telescopes in the world; the |
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observatory's visitors center offers tours and student activities, |
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as well as star parties several nights each week, where the public |
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can marvel at some of the darkest night skies in the continental |
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United States; and |
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WHEREAS, Each August, the Bloys Cowboy Camp revival meeting |
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is held in Skillman's Grove, and the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce |
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hosts an annual hummingbird festival in the Davis Mountains; in |
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Fort Davis itself, citizens reenact an old Western bank robbery |
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every Fourth of July; and |
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WHEREAS, Blessed with the opportunity to live in a striking |
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landscape with a rich history, the resilient and independent-minded |
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citizens of Jeff Davis County may indeed take great pride in the |
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unique role their county plays in both the past and the future of |
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the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize Jeff Davis County Day at the State |
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Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes |
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for an informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |