Bill Text: TX HR372 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing Jeff Davis County Day at the State Capitol.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-02-20 - Reported enrolled [HR372 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR372-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 372 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Proud residents of Jeff Davis County are gathering | ||
| in Austin to celebrate Jeff Davis County Day at the State Capitol; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, This austerely beautiful region of canyons and | ||
| windswept plateaus is home to the Davis Mountains, which were first | ||
| inhabited by prehistoric peoples more than a thousand years ago; | ||
| the region was later home to the Mescalero Apaches, and the first | ||
| Spanish explorer, Antonio de Espejo, visited Limpia Canyon in 1583; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1849, the U.S. Army opened a wagon road from San | ||
| Antonio to El Paso through the mountains, and in 1854, the army | ||
| established a fort on the former site of an Indian village, naming | ||
| it after Jefferson Davis, the secretary of war, and later the | ||
| president of the Confederacy; Fort Davis changed hands during the | ||
| Civil War, and the U.S. Army reoccupied it in 1867; ranchers moved | ||
| into the area in the 1880s, and Jeff Davis County was organized in | ||
| 1887 with Fort Davis as the county seat; the military post was | ||
| abandoned in 1891; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, ranching and tourism continue to be the | ||
| mainstays of the county's economy; the county seat is home to the | ||
| Fort Davis National Historic Site, which preserves the history and | ||
| heritage of the frontier cavalry fort; the nearby Chihuahuan Desert | ||
| Nature Center features 507 acres of rolling grassland and | ||
| oak-covered hills, as well as a desert botanical garden and a | ||
| greenhouse; visitors are also drawn by the fine opportunities for | ||
| camping, birding, hiking, and horseback riding in Davis Mountains | ||
| State Park, and by the 74-mile scenic highway that winds through the | ||
| mountains; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The county is home to the McDonald Observatory of | ||
| The University of Texas at Austin and its Hobby-Eberly telescope, | ||
| one of the largest optical telescopes in the world; the | ||
| observatory's excellent visitors center offers tours and student | ||
| activities, as well as star parties several nights each week, where | ||
| the public can marvel at some of the darkest night skies in the | ||
| continental United States; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Each August, the Bloys Cowboy Camp revival meeting | ||
| is held in Skillman's Grove, and also in August, the Fort Davis | ||
| Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual hummingbird festival in the | ||
| Davis Mountains; in Fort Davis itself, citizens reenact an old | ||
| Western bank robbery every Fourth of July; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Blessed with the opportunity to live in a striking | ||
| landscape with a rich history, the resilient and independent-minded | ||
| citizens of Jeff Davis County may indeed take great pride in the | ||
| unique role their county plays in both the past and the future of | ||
| the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby recognize Jeff Davis County Day at the State | ||
| Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes | ||
| for a memorable and meaningful visit to Austin. | ||
| Nevárez | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 372 was adopted by the House on | ||
| February 17, 2015, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
