SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 179
WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is being
celebrated February 12, 2013, and the Texas Senate takes great
pleasure in recognizing this region and its citizens who have
contributed to the development of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1500s, Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca
explored the area known today as Jim Wells County, and his
records tell of tuna or prickly pear festivals held annually by
his coastal Indian captors around the present-day City of Alice;
and
WHEREAS, The area figures prominently in the early days of
Texas; the land became a part of Texas after it gained its
independence from Mexico in 1836; when early settlers to the
region arrived in 1850, N. G. Collins already had extensive
landholdings in the area and became the namesake for a town
established east of where Alice is now located; the town was
short-lived, since the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was
built two miles west of the community when landowners refused to
sell the right-of-way through the town; and
WHEREAS, In 1886, a new town developed where two rail lines
intersected; after several name changes, the new town of Alice,
named for Alice King, began to develop economically; located at
that time in the northwestern part of Nueces County, the town
eventually became the largest cattle-shipping point in the
world; and
WHEREAS, Jim Wells County was created and organized by the
Texas Legislature on March 11, 1911, and the City of Alice became
the county seat; originally a part of Nueces County, the county
was named for a prominent political figure and land developer,
James B. Wells, Jr., who was also the purchasing agent for the
King Ranch; and
WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is a valuable agricultural area
that has contributed significantly to the development of the
Southwestern part of the United States; since the mid-1800s when
the famous Chisholm Trail passed through the county, the cattle
industry has played a major role in its economy; mesquite brush
and grasses in the western part provide ideal grazing conditions
for livestock, and coastal plains to the east produce coastal
Bermuda and vegetables; and
WHEREAS, In 1936, the first notable oil activity in the
county was initiated, and the first major oil producer, The Texas
Royalty Corporation and Lucy Petroleum Company One, was bought
northeast of Alice; the oil rush brought many new families to Jim
Wells County; and
WHEREAS, The City of Alice is situated at the geographical
heart of South Texas and along the "Texas Tropical Trail" and is
known as the "Hub of South Texas" due to its strategic location at
the intersection of State Highway 44 and United States Highway
281; its proximity to primary United States-Mexico trade routes
connecting Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley with the Port of
Corpus Christi has contributed to the area's development into a
major "Hub of International Trade"; United States Highway 281 was
named in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 as a
key link in the future I-69 NAFTA Superhighway System; and
WHEREAS, The county's economy has benefited not only from
the oil business, ranching, cattle shipping, and cotton and grain
production, but also from a fine public school system, a modern
hospital, and an expanding health-related service industry; and
WHEREAS, The history of Jim Wells County has been carefully
preserved at the South Texas Museum, which has been designated a
Texas Historical Landmark; donated by the McGill family, the
museum was the family's old ranch headquarters; and
WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County are justifiably
proud of their unique heritage and have retained the social
fabric of their culture through fiestas, county fairs, rodeos,
and outdoor activities such as hunting and water sports; and
WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is an
appropriate occasion for the Texas Senate to recognize the
residents of Jim Wells County and to commend them for their
excellent accomplishments; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, hereby declare February 12, 2013, Jim Wells County
Day at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Jim Wells County
as they celebrate their county's many assets; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
the citizens of Jim Wells County as an expression of esteem from
the Texas Senate.
Hinojosa
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 12, 2013.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate