SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
proclaim February 4, 2009, as Brownsville Day at the State
Capitol and to welcome citizens of Brownsville to the State
Capital and to the Texas Legislature; and
WHEREAS, Accompanying this distinguished group are
representatives of the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville
Chamber of Commerce, The University of Texas at Brownsville and
Texas Southmost College, the Brownsville Independent School
District, the Brownsville Navigation District, the Brownsville
Public Utilities Board, the Greater Brownsville Incentives
Corporation, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation,
the Brownsville Economic Development Council, the Brownsville
Urban System, the Brownsville South Padre Island International
Airport, the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the
Port of Brownsville, Workforce Solutions Cameron, and Cameron
County; and
WHEREAS, The site of Brownsville was originally
established as part of the Espiritu Santo land grant in 1781 from
Spain; when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the
area became part of Mexico; the region was settled in 1826 as part
of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico; it then became part of the
Republic of Texas in 1836, and, briefly, in 1840, part of the
Republic of the Rio Grande; the area around Brownsville became
part of the United States in 1845 when Texas became a state, but
the national sovereignty of the area was still disputed; and
WHEREAS, In 1846, President Polk sent General Zachary
Taylor south to the Rio Grande and established Fort Texas, later
Fort Brown, as the first permanent United States fort in Texas;
its purpose was to defend the Rio Grande as the boundary of the
United States after Texas became a state; this action resulted in
the Mexican War of 1845, and subsequently the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo permanently established the north bank of the Rio Grande
as being in Texas and the United States; and
WHEREAS, The town was first chartered as a city in Texas
and the United States in 1848, by Charles Stillman; it was named
in honor of Major Jacob Brown, who was killed in the initial
action leading to the Mexican War; and
WHEREAS, Brownsville was considered to be vital to both the
South and the North during the American Civil War; it was the only
port available to the Confederacy to ship its cotton to Europe in
exchange for war supplies, and it was the site of the battle of
Palmito Ranch, the last battle of the Civil War, which was fought
on May 13, 1865, six weeks after the surrender of the Confederacy
at Appomattox, after which the Union Army regained control of
Fort Brown in order to control the cotton supply and custom
house; and
WHEREAS, Brownsville is the county seat of Cameron County,
the largest city in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and the
southernmost city in Texas; Brownsville has a variety of
businesses, including international trade at the international
sea and land ports, offshore and marine services, ecotourism and
heritage tourism, shrimping, electronics, food processing, and
warehouse distribution, which serve as a vital economic base; and
WHEREAS, The destination of thousands of visitors every
year, the Brownsville area offers numerous historical sites and
museums; it is a birdwatcher's utopia because of its location at
the convergence of two major migratory flyways; the Gladys Porter
Zoo boasts several endangered species, including the white
rhinoceros and the lowland gorilla; and the 557-acre Sabal Palm
Sanctuary harbors native plants and animals that do not occur
elsewhere in the United States; all of these attractions make
Brownsville a desirable destination for tourists and winter
Texans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st
Legislature, hereby welcome the noteworthy visitors from the
City of Brownsville; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
the Brownsville delegation as an expression of the highest regard
and esteem of the Texas Senate.
Lucio
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 4, 2009.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate