Bill Text: TX SR123 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 7, 2017, as Jim Wells County Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-07 - Reported enrolled [SR123 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SR123-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is being | ||
| celebrated February 7, 2017, and the Texas Senate takes great | ||
| pleasure in recognizing this region and its citizens who have | ||
| contributed to the development of the Lone Star State; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the early 1500s, Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca | ||
| explored the area known today as Jim Wells County, and his | ||
| records tell of tuna and prickly pear festivals held annually by | ||
| his coastal Indian captors around the present-day City of | ||
| Alice; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The area figures prominently in the early days of | ||
| Texas; the land became a part of Texas after it gained its | ||
| independence from Mexico in 1836; when early settlers to the | ||
| region arrived in 1850, N. G. Collins already had extensive | ||
| landholdings in the area and became the namesake for a town | ||
| established east of where Alice is now located; the town was | ||
| short-lived, since the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was | ||
| built two miles west of the community when landowners refused to | ||
| sell the right-of-way through the town; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1886, a new town developed where two rail lines | ||
| intersected; after several name changes, the new town of Alice, | ||
| named for Alice King, began to develop economically; located at | ||
| that time in the northwestern part of Nueces County, the town | ||
| eventually became the largest cattle-shipping point in the | ||
| world; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Jim Wells County was created and organized by the | ||
| Texas Legislature on March 11, 1911, and the City of Alice became | ||
| the county seat; originally a part of Nueces County, the county | ||
| was named for a prominent political figure and land developer, | ||
| James B. Wells Jr., who was also the purchasing agent for the King | ||
| Ranch; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is a valuable agricultural area | ||
| that has contributed significantly to the development of the | ||
| southwestern part of the United States; since the mid-1800s, when | ||
| the famous Chisholm Trail passed through the county, the cattle | ||
| industry has played a major role in the area's economy; mesquite | ||
| brush and grasses in the western part provide ideal grazing | ||
| conditions for livestock, and coastal plains to the east produce | ||
| coastal Bermuda and vegetables; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1936, the first notable oil activity in the | ||
| county was initiated, and the first major oil producer, The Texas | ||
| Royalty Corporation and Lucy Petroleum Company One, was | ||
| established northeast of Alice; the oil rush brought many new | ||
| families to Jim Wells County; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The City of Alice is situated in the geographical | ||
| heart of South Texas and along the "Texas Tropical Trail" and is | ||
| known as the "Hub of South Texas" due to its strategic location at | ||
| the intersection of State Highway 44 and United States Highway | ||
| 281; its proximity to primary United States-Mexico trade routes | ||
| connecting Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley with the Port of | ||
| Corpus Christi has contributed to the area's development into a | ||
| major "Hub of International Trade"; United States Highway 281 was | ||
| named in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 as a | ||
| key link in the future I-69 NAFTA Superhighway System; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The county's economy has benefited not only from | ||
| the oil business, ranching, cattle shipping, and cotton and grain | ||
| production, but also from a fine public school system, a modern | ||
| hospital, and an expanding health-related service industry; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The history of Jim Wells County has been carefully | ||
| preserved at the South Texas Museum, which has been designated a | ||
| Texas Historical Landmark; donated by the McGill family, the | ||
| museum was the family's old ranch headquarters; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County are justifiably | ||
| proud of their unique heritage and have retained the social | ||
| fabric of their culture through fiestas, county fairs, rodeos, | ||
| and outdoor activities such as hunting and water sports; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is an | ||
| appropriate occasion for the Texas Senate to recognize the | ||
| residents of Jim Wells County and to commend them for their | ||
| excellent accomplishments; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th | ||
| Legislature, hereby declare February 7, 2017, Jim Wells County | ||
| Day at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Jim Wells County | ||
| as they celebrate their county's many assets; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for | ||
| the citizens of Jim Wells County as an expression of esteem from | ||
| the Texas Senate. | ||
| Hinojosa | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on February 7, 2017. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
