| 1 | 1 | | 81R13320 JH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hunter H.R. No. 760 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Port Lavaca Day is taking place at the State Capitol |
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| 7 | 7 | | on March 11, 2009, and this event provides a welcome opportunity to |
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| 8 | 8 | | pay tribute to the rich history and many achievements of this |
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| 9 | 9 | | prominent community on the Texas Gulf Coast; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Located on a bluff above Lavaca Bay, the town was |
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| 11 | 11 | | founded in the early 1840s; it quickly developed into the busiest |
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| 12 | 12 | | port in the area and was chosen as the county seat for Calhoun |
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| 13 | 13 | | County in 1846, though it lost that status to the nearby port of |
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| 14 | 14 | | Indianola six years later; competition with the rival town slowed |
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| 15 | 15 | | Port Lavaca's growth in the mid-1800s, but it ultimately regained |
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| 16 | 16 | | its prominence and its title as county seat after Indianola was |
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| 17 | 17 | | abandoned in the 1880s due to hurricane damage; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1920s, Port Lavaca became an |
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| 19 | 19 | | important center for processing shrimp and other seafood; in the |
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| 20 | 20 | | following decades, the town began serving the oil and gas companies |
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| 21 | 21 | | and the aluminum plants and other industries that were established |
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| 22 | 22 | | in the area; today, those businesses remain a central part of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | city's economy, as do the agricultural and livestock operations in |
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| 24 | 24 | | Calhoun County; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Port Lavaca's bayside setting has also made it a |
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| 26 | 26 | | popular tourism destination since the late 1800s, and it offers a |
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| 27 | 27 | | number of exceptional attractions for visitors; anglers can cast a |
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| 28 | 28 | | line from several lighted fishing piers on the bay, and Lighthouse |
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| 29 | 29 | | Beach offers white sand, a boardwalk, and R.V. and camping |
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| 30 | 30 | | facilities; the beach also has special bird-watching areas, and the |
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| 31 | 31 | | city makes a great base of operations for visiting other birding |
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| 32 | 32 | | spots along the coast; vacationers of all sorts enjoy Port Lavaca's |
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| 33 | 33 | | Main Street shopping district and interesting historical sights |
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| 34 | 34 | | such as the Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse, the state's oldest surviving |
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| 35 | 35 | | wooden lighthouse; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The residents of Port Lavaca are justifiably proud |
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| 37 | 37 | | of their city's heritage and of the many qualities that make their |
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| 38 | 38 | | community a great place to live and to visit, and they are to be |
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| 39 | 39 | | commended for their contributions to the ongoing prosperity of the |
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| 40 | 40 | | Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature hereby recognize March 11, 2009, as Port Lavaca Day at |
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| 43 | 43 | | the State Capitol and extend best wishes to the visiting delegation |
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| 44 | 44 | | for an enjoyable and productive stay in Austin. |
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