Bill Text: TX SR280 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing March 7, 2017, as Van Zandt County Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-03-07 - Reported enrolled [SR280 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SR280-Enrolled.html
|
||
WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Van Zandt County are gathering | ||
at the State Capitol on March 7, 2017, to commemorate Van Zandt | ||
County Day and to celebrate the significant role their home has | ||
played in the story of the Lone Star State; and | ||
WHEREAS, Created by an Act of the Texas Legislature on | ||
March 20, 1848, this county in the northeast region of Texas was | ||
named for Isaac Van Zandt, a lawyer who served as a legislator and | ||
diplomat for the Republic of Texas; and | ||
WHEREAS, Canton, the county seat, was laid out in 1850 and | ||
incorporated in 1919; designated a Main Street City in 2001, it | ||
is home to the Van Zandt County Fair and Rodeo, as well as one of | ||
the nation's best-known flea markets, First Monday Trade Days; | ||
the city is also the location of the Library of Genealogy and | ||
Local History, which preserves the county's heritage and draws | ||
researchers from far and near; and | ||
WHEREAS, The county's other notable communities include | ||
Ben Wheeler, which was named in 1878 for Benjamin F. Wheeler, an | ||
early mail carrier in Van Zandt County; and | ||
WHEREAS, Edgewood, which was first settled in the 1840s, | ||
hosts the Edgewood Heritage Festival every November at the | ||
Heritage Park Museum; this popular attraction is dedicated to the | ||
preservation of rural culture and architecture; and | ||
WHEREAS, Named after a figure from the Bible, Edom is one | ||
of the oldest towns in the county, and it is home to 11 state | ||
historical markers, many of them researched by members of the | ||
Edom Historical Society; the residents of this small community | ||
also give hearty support to an active civic theater and popular | ||
arts fairs; and | ||
WHEREAS, A 1901 petition by local fruit growers prompted | ||
the renaming of Bolan Switch to Fruitvale; the town had boasted a | ||
fruit nursery as early as the 1870s and also had a lumber shipping | ||
business by the second decade of the 20th century, but Fruitvale | ||
was not incorporated until the 1960s; and | ||
WHEREAS, Originally called Jordan's Saline, Grand Saline | ||
was the first county seat, and it takes its name from an immense | ||
dome of pure salt that lies beneath the city; more than a mile and | ||
a half wide and 16,000 feet thick, the deposit is now mined by the | ||
Morton Salt company; named a Main Street City in 2004, the | ||
community celebrates its heritage with the Salt Palace, a house | ||
built out of salt blocks, and an annual Salt Festival; the town is | ||
also the birthplace of pioneer aviator Wiley Post, whose life is | ||
commemorated with a historical marker; and | ||
WHEREAS, Martin's Mill was established in the valley of Cream | ||
Level Creek before the Civil War; it got its name from Daniel | ||
G. Martin, who opened a gin and gristmill there in 1875; and | ||
WHEREAS, The community of Van was established in 1894, and | ||
it remained a quiet farming community until 1929, when the | ||
discovery of oil in the area transformed the village into a | ||
boomtown; the Van Area Oil and Historical Museum and the annual | ||
Oil Pageant & Festival recapture the excitement of that time; and | ||
WHEREAS, Wills Point was named for William Wills, who | ||
settled in the area in the 1840s and whose homestead became a way | ||
station for travelers; his original cabin still stands in Bruce | ||
Park, and the old Texas and Pacific Railroad depot features | ||
exhibits of local history; as the official Bluebird Capital of | ||
Texas, Wills Point hosts the annual Bluebird Festival every | ||
April; and | ||
WHEREAS, Major events in the county include the Western | ||
Swing Valentine Party in Canton, the Edom Festival of the Arts, | ||
and the Relay for Life of Van Zandt County; for the outdoor | ||
enthusiast, the Neches and Sabine Rivers, Purtis Creek State | ||
Park, and Lake Tawakoni State Park offer fine opportunities for | ||
fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and hiking; home to more | ||
than 53,000 people, the county prospers thanks to agriculture, | ||
oil and gas, and tourism; the region is a major producer of hay, | ||
sweet potatoes, beef cattle, and nursery crops; and | ||
WHEREAS, The people of Van Zandt County take great pride in | ||
their rich history as they work together to build an even | ||
brighter future, and it is indeed fitting to honor them and their | ||
unique contributions to the story of the Lone Star State; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th | ||
Legislature, hereby recognize March 7, 2017, as Van Zandt | ||
County Day at the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the | ||
visiting residents of the county for an informative and | ||
enjoyable stay in Austin. | ||
Hall | ||
________________________________ | ||
President of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that the | ||
above Resolution was adopted by | ||
the Senate on March 7, 2017. | ||
________________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
________________________________ | ||
Member, Texas Senate |