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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents are gathering in Austin on |
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February 13, 2023, to celebrate Hardin County Day at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated northeast of Houston, Hardin County is |
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predominantly made up of pine and hardwood forests in the East Texas |
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Timberlands region; attracted by the mineral waters of Medicine |
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Lake, Native Americans visited the area long before it became part |
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of the Atascosito District of Spanish and Mexican Texas; attempts |
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at colonization began in earnest in 1834 when the Mexican |
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government made land grants, and in 1835, Stephen Jackson founded a |
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settlement at Sour Lake; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the Texas Revolution, the area was split |
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between the jurisdictions of Liberty and Jefferson Counties; in |
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1858, the State Legislature established Hardin County, drawing |
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territory from both parent counties; under state law, the county's |
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name honored the Hardin family of Liberty, and the county seat also |
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bore that name; in 1881, the Sabine and East Texas Railroad bypassed |
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Hardin in favor of its own newly established town, Kountze, which |
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ultimately became the county seat; and |
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WHEREAS, Early farmers in Hardin County raised corn, sweet |
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potatoes, hogs, cattle, sheep, and horses; as early as 1878, |
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loggers were floating cut timber to the Neches River and on to |
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Beaumont, and by 1881, at least two lumber-processing mills were |
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operating in the county; the subsequent arrivals of other railway |
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companies further stimulated the lumber industry; a big economic |
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boost came with the discovery of oil at Saratoga and Batson and the |
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development of the Sour Lake oil field in 1903; today, chambers of |
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commerce in Kountze, Lumberton, Silsbee, and Sour Lake promote |
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economic development in their communities; and |
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WHEREAS, Hardin County is further buoyed by its robust |
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ecotourism, which offers ample opportunities for camping, |
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paddling, fishing, hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing; a major |
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attraction is the Big Thicket National Preserve, where visitors can |
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explore nine different ecosystems; moreover, Village Creek State |
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Park sits along one of the few free-flowing creeks in Texas, and the |
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Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary protects diverse plant |
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communities; and |
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WHEREAS, Residents of Hardin County are working together to |
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build an even brighter future, and this special day provides a |
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fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the county and its people; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 13, 2023, as Hardin County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting |
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delegation. |