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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Fort Belknap holds a special place in the history of |
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the Lone Star State as it marked the starting point for the |
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celebrated Goodnight-Loving Trail; and |
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WHEREAS, Founded by General William G. Belknap, Fort Belknap |
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was established on June 24, 1851, near the Brazos River in Young |
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County; it initially served as the northern anchor of a series of |
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U.S. Army forts built to protect settlers on the Texas frontier; |
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although the fort officially closed in September 1867, it became a |
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hub of connecting roads, including the Butterfield Overland Mail |
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route, a mail and passenger stage service that stretched from |
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St. Louis to San Francisco; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1866, former Texas Ranger Charles Goodnight and |
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cattle runner Oliver Loving devised a plan to drive a herd of cattle |
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from Fort Belknap along the Butterfield Overland Mail route, hoping |
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to sell them to markets in New Mexico, where beef was in higher |
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demand; the first Goodnight-Loving cattle drive left the fort on |
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June 6, 1866, with 2,000 head of Texas longhorns, 18 cowhands, and |
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the world's first chuck wagon, which was custom-built by |
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Mr. Goodnight for the drive; traveling in hostile country, the |
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group worked its way along the Pecos River and sold the cattle at |
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Fort Sumner, New Mexico; the Goodnight-Loving Trail would |
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eventually pass through Colorado and end in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and |
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over the years, it grew to become one of the Southwest's most |
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heavily used cattle trails; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1936, the Works Progress Administration |
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allocated funds for the restoration of Fort Belknap, and the state |
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refurbished the buildings that still stood and rebuilt those that |
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had been destroyed; the fort was designated as a National Historic |
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Landmark in 1960; and |
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WHEREAS, Fort Belknap serves as a poignant link to the iconic |
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era of the great Western cattle drives, and it is indeed deserving |
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of special recognition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Fort Belknap for its historic role as the |
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starting point of the Goodnight-Loving Trail and pay tribute to all |
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those who have contributed to the fort's restoration and |
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preservation. |