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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 245
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WHEREAS, Citizens of Presidio County are visiting Austin |
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on February 26, 2019, in celebration of Presidio County Day at |
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the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, An area steeped in history and possessed of a |
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frontier mystique, Presidio County lies in the Trans-Pecos |
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region of Southwest Texas and is bordered by the Rio Grande and |
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Mexico; its desert terrain varies from rolling plains to canyons |
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and volcanic cliffs and rises to some of the state's tallest |
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mountain ranges, as well as to its highest waterfall, Capote |
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Falls, with a drop of 175 feet; and |
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WHEREAS, Diverse populations of Paleo-Indians once roamed |
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Presidio County, and Jumanos, Apaches, and Comanches were |
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present in the area when Spanish missions arrived in the 1680s; |
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the outskirts of present-day Presidio, where corn farmers of the |
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Cochise culture settled around 1500 B.C., is believed to contain |
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the oldest continuously cultivated farmland in Texas, and in the |
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19th century, a settlement was founded on Cibolo Creek by José |
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Ygnacio Ronquillo, who was issued a constitutional land grant in |
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1832; and |
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WHEREAS, Presidio County was established from parts of the |
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Bexar Land District on January 3, 1850, and organized a |
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quarter-century later; initially the largest county in the |
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United States at 12,000 square miles, it eventually relinquished |
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land and today holds the claim of fourth-largest county in the |
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state at nearly 3,860 square miles; its original county seat was |
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Fort Davis, which became part of Jeff Davis County, and the |
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Presidio County government relocated to Marfa two years after the |
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town's founding in 1883; and |
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WHEREAS, From the 1880s to the 1940s, silver mining was a |
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leading industry in Presidio County after a silver deposit was |
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found in the Chinati Mountains by local rancher and trader John |
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W. Spencer; his discovery led to the opening of Presidio Mine, |
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which would produce more than 32.6 million ounces of silver over |
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the course of its existence; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the local economy is based primarily on |
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agriculture; in the southern portion of the county, the loamy |
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soil provides fertile ground for growing tomatoes, melons, |
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onions, grain, and cotton, while ranchers have traditionally |
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raised sheep and cattle, including the famed Highland Hereford, |
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wherever there is adequate pastureland; although no permanent |
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streams exist in the county, the completion of Elephant Butte Dam |
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across the Rio Grande in 1910 created a reliable supply of |
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irrigation water, greatly increasing farming production; and |
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WHEREAS, Presidio, with a population of nearly 4,500, is |
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the county's largest town and home to the Fort Leaton historic |
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site, a public museum containing ruins, exhibits, and nature |
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trails; the county seat of Marfa has some 2,000 people and boasts |
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historical attractions, as well as an active local arts scene |
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that includes the world-renowned Chinati Foundation; the town |
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has become a popular tourist draw for its vintage charm and art |
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and for the mysterious Marfa Lights, an atmospheric phenomenon |
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first observed in the night sky in 1883; and |
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WHEREAS, With its friendly people, majestic scenery, and |
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sundry intangible qualities, Presidio County is truly a treasure |
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of the Lone Star State, and it is indeed a pleasure to celebrate |
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the heritage and contributions of this storied region; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize Presidio County Day at the State |
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Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes |
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for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. |
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Rodríguez |
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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 26, 2019. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |