88R15380 TBO-D
 
  By: Leo-Wilson H.R. No. 447
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Family farms and ranches have long been essential to
  the economy and culture of the Lone Star State, and the White Ranch
  in Chambers County is indeed deserving of recognition for its
  important role in the history of Southeast Texas; and
         WHEREAS, The White Ranch traces its origins back to 1828,
  when James Taylor White settled in present-day Chambers County and
  established the first Anglo-owned cattle ranch in Texas; the
  operation began with a stock of a dozen cattle, and over the years,
  the herd grew to some 10,000 head; a pioneer in the cattle-raising
  industry, Mr. White developed what would stand for many years as the
  industry's prime business model, trailing cattle from the ranch
  where they were raised to market; he drove his cattle along the
  Opelousas Trail to a more lucrative market in Louisiana; and
         WHEREAS, The ranch has been operated by the White family for
  many generations, and its original "Crossed W" brand is the oldest
  Texas cattle brand in continuous use; during the 1860s, James
  Taylor White II and his brother-in-law, James Jackson, built one of
  the first cattle fences at the ranch; today, James Taylor White's
  great-great-great-grandson Bill White and his wife, Katherine, are
  holding the reins, and they have continued the tradition of
  swimming their cattle across the Intracoastal Canal each fall to
  winter pasture on Bolivar Peninsula and then back in the spring; and
         WHEREAS, For nearly two centuries, the White Ranch has
  contributed to the rich heritage of Southeast Texas, and the White
  family may take great pride in all they have done to make the ranch
  one of the treasures of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize the White Ranch as the oldest
  Anglo-owned cattle ranch in continuous operation in Southeast Texas
  and extend to the members of the White family sincere best wishes
  for the future; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for the family as an expression of high regard by the Texas
  House of Representatives.