Bill Text: TX SR245 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 26, 2019, as Presidio County Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-26 - Reported enrolled [SR245 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SR245-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Citizens of Presidio County are visiting Austin | ||
on February 26, 2019, 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 | ||
that includes 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 Senate of the State of Texas, 86th | ||
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. | ||
Rodríguez | ||
________________________________ | ||
President of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that the | ||
above Resolution was adopted by | ||
the Senate on February 26, 2019. | ||
________________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
________________________________ | ||
Member, Texas Senate |