| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Residents of Rains County are visiting Austin on |
|
|
April 12, 2019, to celebrate Rains County Day at the State Capitol; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Situated between Lake Tawakoni and Lake Fork |
|
|
Reservoir, Rains County is blessed with an abundant water supply |
|
|
and fertile soil characteristic of the Blackland Prairie region; |
|
|
the county was formed in the late 1800s from Hopkins, Hunt, and Wood |
|
|
Counties and named in honor of Emory Rains, an early pioneer who |
|
|
served in the Congress of the Republic of Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Rains County initially prospered as an agricultural |
|
|
and ranching center and today enjoys a diverse economy that |
|
|
includes oil production, manufacturing, and tourism; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The county seat, Emory, which was originally known |
|
|
as Springville, is now the county's largest town; it is home to the |
|
|
annual Eagle Fest celebration held in the winter, when the area |
|
|
lakes are the home of many American bald eagles and other rare |
|
|
birds; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The city of Point was incorporated in the 1960s and |
|
|
is recognized as the birthplace of the National Farmers Union; the |
|
|
10 founding fathers of the NFU are memorialized by a historical |
|
|
monument in the city, which incorporates a statue of the union's |
|
|
founder, Isaac Newton Gresham, and a display of the flags of the |
|
|
NFU's member states; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The county's newest municipality, East Tawakoni, |
|
|
was incorporated in 1967; this resort area offers residents the |
|
|
benefits of a relaxed rural community while providing easy access |
|
|
to Dallas; notably, the city is connected to its counterpart, West |
|
|
Tawakoni in Hunt County, by Two-Mile Bridge; completed in 2016, |
|
|
this impressive structure replaced the original Two-Mile Bridge, |
|
|
which was built across Lake Tawakoni in 1959 and was the longest |
|
|
bridge serving a farm-to-market road at the time of its |
|
|
construction; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, One of the smallest counties in the state, but one of |
|
|
the fastest growing in the nation, Rains County is playing a vital |
|
|
role in the story of the Lone Star State, and its citizens are |
|
|
indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize April 12, 2019, as Rains County Day at |
|
|
the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
|
|
best wishes for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin. |