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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Coryell County are gathering in |
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Austin on May 28, 2025, in celebration of Coryell County Day at the |
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State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated in the Cross Timbers ecological region of |
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Central Texas, the area that would become Coryell County was first |
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inhabited by prehistoric peoples and later by Tonkawa, Lipan |
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Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche Indians; the region was part of the |
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Milam Land District, and though it was assigned by the Mexican |
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government for settlement in 1825, few residents arrived until the |
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late 1840s, when Fort Gates and other American military posts were |
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founded to protect locals from Indian raids; in 1854, the Texas |
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Legislature established Coryell County and named it in honor of |
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frontiersman and Texas Ranger James Coryell, an early landholder; |
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Gatesville, which had formed around Fort Gates, was chosen as the |
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county seat; and |
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WHEREAS, In its early years, the county's economy was driven |
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by stock raising and subsistence farming, with corn, wheat, and |
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cotton being key crops; though the Civil War and its aftermath |
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brought hardships for many, the economy began to recover in the late |
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1860s, and the county's population more than doubled between 1870 |
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and 1880; the arrival of the Texas and St. Louis Railway and the |
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Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1882 prompted the |
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establishment of new communities and provided opportunities for |
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existing ones; by the turn of the century, the county's population |
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had grown to more than 21,000 people; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Coryell County is home to more than 86,000 |
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residents, and its economy benefits from the retail, agricultural, |
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corrections, manufacturing, health care, and defense industries, |
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with the presence of Fort Cavazos and state prisons being key |
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contributors; notable communities include Gatesville and Copperas |
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Cove, and among its educational institutions are Central Texas |
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College and nearby Texas A&M University Central Texas; residents |
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and visitors alike enjoy such attractions as the Last Drive-In |
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Picture Show, the Coryell County Museum, and the annual Shivaree |
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festival; and |
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WHEREAS, The people of Coryell County take great pride in |
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their rich history as they work together to build an even brighter |
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future, and it is indeed fitting to honor them for their unique |
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contributions to the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 28, 2025, as Coryell County Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting |
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delegation. |