| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Residents of Hopkins County are gathering in Austin |
|
|
on February 28, 2019, 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; 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; by 1990 the county boasted nearly 500 |
|
|
dairies supplying 17 percent of the state's total milk; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, population in the county has grown to about |
|
|
36,000, with 16,000 people living in the county seat, Sulphur |
|
|
Springs; dairy production continues to be a mainstay of the |
|
|
economy, along with food processing and distribution, cattle |
|
|
raising, and horse breeding; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Sulphur Springs features a number of popular |
|
|
attractions, including the Southwest Dairy Museum and Education |
|
|
Center, the Leo St. Clair Music Box Museum, and the Hopkins County |
|
|
Museum and Heritage 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, Citizens of Hopkins County are working to build a |
|
|
prosperous future even as they honor the achievements of the past, |
|
|
and they may take great pride in the history and character of their |
|
|
notable region; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 28, 2019, 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. |