Bill Text: TX HR371 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing Presidio County Day at the State Capitol.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-02-20 - Reported enrolled [HR371 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR371-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 371 |
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WHEREAS, Citizens of Presidio County are visiting Austin on | ||
this date in celebration of Presidio County Day at the State | ||
Capitol; and | ||
WHEREAS, An area steeped in history and possessed of a | ||
frontier mystique, Presidio County lies in the Trans-Pecos region | ||
of Southwest Texas and is bordered by the Rio Grande and Mexico; its | ||
desert terrain varies from rolling plains to canyons and volcanic | ||
cliffs and rises to some of the state's tallest mountain ranges, as | ||
well as to its highest waterfall, Capote Falls, with a drop of 175 | ||
feet; and | ||
WHEREAS, Diverse populations of Paleo-Indians once roamed | ||
Presidio County, and Jumanos, Apaches, and Comanches were present | ||
in the area when Spanish missions arrived in the 1680s; the | ||
outskirts of present-day Presidio, where corn farmers of the | ||
Cochise culture settled around 1500 B.C., is believed to contain | ||
the oldest continuously cultivated farmland in Texas, and in the | ||
19th century, a settlement was founded on Cibolo Creek by José | ||
Ygnacio Ronquillo, who was issued a constitutional land grant in | ||
1832; and | ||
WHEREAS, Presidio County was established from parts of the | ||
Bexar Land District on January 3, 1850, and organized a | ||
quarter-century later; initially the largest county in the United | ||
States at 12,000 square miles, it eventually relinquished land and | ||
today holds the claim of fourth-largest county in the state at | ||
nearly 3,860 square miles; its original county seat was Fort Davis, | ||
which became part of Jeff Davis County, and the Presidio County | ||
government relocated to Marfa two years after the town's founding | ||
in 1883; and | ||
WHEREAS, From the 1880s to the 1940s, silver mining was a | ||
leading industry in Presidio County after a silver deposit was | ||
found in the Chinati Mountains by local rancher and trader John W. | ||
Spencer; his discovery led to the opening of Presidio Mine, which | ||
would produce more than 32.6 million ounces of silver over the | ||
course of its existence; and | ||
WHEREAS, Today, the local economy is based primarily on | ||
agriculture; in the southern portion of the county, the loamy soil | ||
provides fertile ground for growing tomatoes, melons, onions, | ||
grain, and cotton, while ranchers have traditionally raised sheep | ||
and cattle, including the famed Highland Hereford, wherever there | ||
is adequate pastureland; although no permanent streams exist in the | ||
county, the completion of Elephant Butte Dam across the Rio Grande | ||
in 1910 created a reliable supply of irrigation water, greatly | ||
increasing farming production; and | ||
WHEREAS, Presidio, with a population of nearly 4,500, is the | ||
county's largest town and home to the Fort Leaton historic site, a | ||
public museum containing ruins, exhibits, and nature trails; the | ||
county seat of Marfa has some 2,000 people and boasts historical | ||
attractions as well as an active local arts scene, including the | ||
world-renowned Chinati Foundation; the town has become a popular | ||
tourist draw for its vintage charm and art and for the mysterious | ||
Marfa Lights, an atmospheric phenomenon first observed in the night | ||
sky in 1883; and | ||
WHEREAS, With its friendly people, majestic scenery, and | ||
sundry intangible qualities, Presidio County is truly a treasure of | ||
the Lone Star State, and it is indeed a pleasure to celebrate the | ||
heritage and contributions of this storied region; now, therefore, | ||
be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby recognize Presidio County Day at the State | ||
Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes | ||
for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. | ||
Nevárez | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 371 was adopted by the House on | ||
February 17, 2015, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||