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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Proud citizens of La Salle County are visiting |
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the State Capitol on April 18, 2023, to celebrate the role their |
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South Texas home has played in the annals of the Lone Star State; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In the Spanish colonial era, the Old Presidio |
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Road passed through present-day La Salle County; Coahuila |
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governor Alonso De Leon used this road on his way to search for |
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the French settlement of the Sieur de La Salle, as did the famed |
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missionary and historian Friar Juan Agustin Morfi; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the county was created in 1858, outlaw |
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activity and Indian raids delayed settlement; Fort Ewell, |
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established in 1852 to protect travelers, was abandoned two years |
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later; with the last Indian raid occurring in 1878, however, the |
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arrival of the railroad in the early 1880s and the gradual |
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suppression of desperadoes, ranching soon became a viable |
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project; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the ranches established during this period |
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was a huge spread managed by the Hall brothers, among them Jesse |
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Leigh "Lee" Hall, a noted Texas Ranger who had been instrumental |
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in bringing order to South Texas; Lee Hall became the prototype |
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for the Texas Ranger who appears in many short stories by the |
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writer O. Henry, who spent two years on the ranch while seeking to |
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improve his health; and |
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WHEREAS, Ranching remains a major part of the county's |
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economy; other income is derived from oil and gas, a significant |
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industry here since the 1950s, and from agriculture; the South |
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Texas practice of cool-season farming originated in La Salle |
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County in the 1890s, and by 1910 the county was the leading |
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vegetable producer in the Winter Garden Region; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of La Salle County are heirs to a |
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notable history and heritage, and their productivity and |
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dedication to being good stewards of the earth are a model for all |
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Texans and are truly worthy of commendation; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize April 18, 2023, as La Salle County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend to the county's residents and |
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delegates sincere best wishes for a memorable and rewarding |
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visit; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in |
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honor of this special occasion. |