|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Residents of Loving County are gathering in Austin |
|
to celebrate Loving County Day at the State Capitol; and |
|
WHEREAS, The geographically smallest county in the Permian |
|
Basin, Loving County lies to the east of the Pecos River in the |
|
Chihuahuan Desert along the Texas-New Mexico border; its 674 square |
|
miles of desert, low rolling hills, playas, and dry draws were |
|
carved out of Tom Green County in 1887 and named in honor of Oliver |
|
Loving, an early Texas cattleman; privately organized by |
|
out-of-state businessmen in 1893, the county was officially |
|
attached to Reeves County by the state legislature four years |
|
later; and |
|
WHEREAS, In 1931, Loving County was reorganized, becoming the |
|
only Texas county to be organized twice and the last to be |
|
established; its fortunes had risen with the discovery of oil in the |
|
1920s and the founding of the town of Ramsey; new residents came to |
|
the community from the nearby settlement of Porterville and beyond; |
|
as the county seat, Ramsey was soon given the name of Mentone, and |
|
the historic Loving County Courthouse was built there in 1935; and |
|
WHEREAS, Cattle ranching has remained an important part of |
|
the local economy since the 1800s, but oil and gas production, the |
|
primary industry, has become even more dominant in recent years; |
|
while the number of residents has grown to just over 100 with the |
|
energy boom, Loving County has long ranked as the most rural county |
|
in the nation; the wide-open spaces of Western songs are no mere |
|
memory here, and the abundant wildlife includes quail, deer, |
|
javelinas, bobcats, coyotes, and armadillos; and |
|
WHEREAS, Citizens may take great pride in the rugged beauty |
|
and rich traditions of Loving County as they look forward to the |
|
myriad challenges and opportunities of the future; now, therefore, |
|
be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby recognize Loving County Day at the State Capitol |
|
and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an |
|
informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |