| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 244 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Pearland are gathering in |
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| 3 | 3 | | Austin to celebrate Pearland Days at the State Capitol on |
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| 4 | 4 | | February 25 and 26, 2009; and |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Situated on the alluvial lowlands of Brazoria |
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| 6 | 6 | | County, Pearland lies at the center of a region traversed by |
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| 7 | 7 | | Native Americans and such famous historical figures as Cabeza de |
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| 8 | 8 | | Vaca, Cavelier de La Salle, and Stephen F. Austin; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Founded in 1882 as a siding switch on the Gulf, |
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| 10 | 10 | | Colorado, and Sante Fe Railroad, the site was originally called |
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| 11 | 11 | | Mark Belt after the man whose house served as a local post office; |
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| 12 | 12 | | in the mid-1890s the Southern Homestead Company constructed the |
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| 13 | 13 | | town's first building, a rail depot, and the community was |
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| 14 | 14 | | renamed Pearland because of the abundance of pear trees in the |
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| 15 | 15 | | vicinity; the depot was the town's only link to the outside world |
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| 16 | 16 | | and the center of town life; the combination freight and |
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| 17 | 17 | | passenger train known as the "Bobby Train" was the only way for |
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| 18 | 18 | | citizens of Pearland to travel back and forth to Houston; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, The Galveston hurricane of 1900 destroyed |
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| 20 | 20 | | Pearland's fruit orchards, but the region rebounded and was |
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| 21 | 21 | | promoted only 10 years later by the Allison-Richey Suburban |
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| 22 | 22 | | Garden Company as an "agricultural Eden" where fruit could be |
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| 23 | 23 | | raised on a commercial scale; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, From the mid-1960s to the present, Pearland has |
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| 25 | 25 | | grown from a population of 1,497 to 80,000, making it one of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | fastest-growing cities on the Gulf Coast; the life of the city is |
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| 27 | 27 | | enriched with such annual events as the Winterfest in January and |
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| 28 | 28 | | the Silverlake Sprint Triathlon every May; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, With the original railway depot still standing as |
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| 30 | 30 | | a reminder of its colorful past, Pearland looks forward to an |
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| 31 | 31 | | even more dynamic future, and it is appropriate to take this |
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| 32 | 32 | | opportunity to honor it; now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st |
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| 34 | 34 | | Legislature, hereby recognize February 25 and 26, 2009, as |
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| 35 | 35 | | Pearland Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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| 36 | 36 | | delegation best wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in |
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| 37 | 37 | | Austin. |
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| 38 | 38 | | Jackson |
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| 39 | 39 | | ________________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | President of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 42 | 42 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 43 | 43 | | the Senate on February 25, 2009. |
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| 44 | 44 | | ________________________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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