87S10144 TBO-D
 
  By: Wilson H.C.R. No. 12
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The community of Florence in Williamson County is
  home to the Gault Archaeological Site, one of the oldest known
  places of human habitation in North America; and
         WHEREAS, The earliest presence of humans at the Gault site
  has been dated to between 16,000 and 20,000 years ago, and artifacts
  recovered there show a near-continuous occupation of the area by 23
  ancient cultures over the centuries; and
         WHEREAS, Located in a valley along Buttermilk Creek, the site
  proved an ideal place for settlement since it offered ancient
  peoples an extraordinary combination of water, plentiful food, and
  large amounts of Edwards chert, a type of stone used to fashion
  tools; and
         WHEREAS, Archaeological research being conducted at the
  Gault site is enabling anthropologists to gain a better
  understanding of the early inhabitants of North America and to
  develop new theories about when and how the continent was first
  populated by humans; and
         WHEREAS, In addition to being one of the oldest
  archaeological sites in North America, the Gault site is all the
  more unique for being located near a contemporary community, the
  city of Florence; and
         WHEREAS, The Gault Archaeological Site is helping to rewrite
  the history of the first peoples of the Americas, and the modern
  citizens of Florence may indeed take great pride in their deep
  connection to the earliest residents of the Lone Star State; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,
  1st Called Session, hereby designate the city of Florence as the
  oldest community in Texas; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
  391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
  until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
  passed by the legislature.