Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR77 Compare Versions

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1		-	By: Guillen (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.C.R. No. 77
2		-	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2015;
3		-	May 7, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on
4		-	Administration; May 21, 2015, reported favorably by the following
5		-	vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent to printer.)
6		-	Click here to see the committee vote
	1	+	H.C.R. No. 77
7	2
8	3
9	4		HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
10	5		WHEREAS, The vaquero is one of the iconic figures of the Lone
11	6		Star State, and today the heritage of the vaqueros remains
12	7		especially strong in Jim Hogg County, where they have played a
13	8		fundamental role in that region's economy and culture since the
14	9		arrival of the earliest settlers; and
15	10		WHEREAS, Renowned for their horsemanship and stock-handling
16	11		abilities, vaqueros were crucial to the advance of Spanish ranching
17	12		into South Texas; from the mid-18th century onward, their skills
18	13		and fortitude figured greatly in the development of large,
19	14		open-range cattle ranches in the region south of the Nueces River;
20	15		and
21	16		WHEREAS, These ranches left an imprint on the landscape that
22	17		is visible today in fortified stone blockhouses and in ranch
23	18		outbuildings, in chapels and cemeteries, in hand-dug wells, and in
24	19		man-made reservoirs that made it possible to assemble enormous
25	20		herds of livestock for drives north; and
26	21		WHEREAS, With the expansion of the Texas cattle industry in
27	22		the 19th century, the vaquero's traditions came to shape ranching
28	23		practices far beyond the Nueces; over the years, much of the
29	24		vaquero's equipment--his chaps, bandana, sombrero, lasso, spurs,
30	25		and saddle--became the standard gear of all Texas cowboys, while
31	26		elements of his craft, such as mounted herding and roping
32	27		techniques, also influenced early Anglo-American methods; the
33	28		system of range management and working cattle that evolved in
34	29		Texas, a system infused with vaquero lore, subsequently spread
35	30		across the High Plains and western part of the United States; and
36	31		WHEREAS, Endowed with soils better suited to livestock
37	32		production than farming, the area of present-day Jim Hogg County
38	33		has beckoned ranchers for the past two centuries; the first known
39	34		grant within the borders of today's county was made to Xavier Vela
40	35		in 1805 and encompassed nearly 18,000 acres; altogether, between
41	36		1805 and 1836, approximately 25 grants were conferred within the
42	37		county; and
43	38		WHEREAS, Among the first ranches founded in the area were
44	39		Randado, Las Noriacitas, Las Animas, San Antonio Viejo, Las
45	40		Enramadas, Las Viboritas, El Baluarte, and San Javier, while
46	41		important spreads in the latter 1800s included Randado, Las
47	42		Noriacitas, San Javier, and El Sordo; and
48	43		WHEREAS, Some of the earliest ranches to be established in
49	44		Jim Hogg County are still held by descendants of the original
50	45		owners; the most famous of these venerable ranches, Randado, was
51	46		originally occupied in 1830 by Hipolito Garcia and is now one of the
52	47		oldest continuously operated ranches in the nation; and
53	48		WHEREAS, Formerly embracing more than 100,000 acres, Randado
54	49		was famed both for its vast herd of Spanish ponies, which by the
55	50		1870s numbered some 3,000 head, and for the fine leather and
56	51		horsehair accoutrements fashioned by its vaqueros; the name of the
57	52		ranch, in fact, refers to the production there of an elaborate style
58	53		of lasso, the randa; Robert E. Lee, who spent time in Texas before
59	54		the Civil War, wrote about his visit to Randado, and the ranch
60	55		figured in literary works by John Houghton Allen, Tom Lea, and J.
61	56		Frank Dobie; and
62	57		WHEREAS, Ranching remains one of the chief pillars of the
63	58		economy in Jim Hogg County, and most communities in the area have
64	59		ranching roots or associations; Agua Nueva, Cuevitas, Guerra, and
65	60		Randado all originated as ranching settlements; and
66	61		WHEREAS, Hebbronville, the county seat, is located on land
67	62		that once formed part of Las Noriacitas; the town's namesake, W. R.
68	63		Hebbron, acquired the site from descendants of the original grantee
69	64		about 1880, and in 1883 he established Hebbronville along the route
70	65		of the Texas Mexican Railway; and
71	66		WHEREAS, For a time, Hebbronville ranked as the largest
72	67		cattle shipping center in the country, and to this day it is a hub of
73	68		ranching activity; when award-winning director/producer Hector
74	69		Galan made a documentary about the vaquero in the mid-1980s, he shot
75	70		most of the film in Hebbronville, and the city hosts an annual
76	71		Vaquero Festival every year, on the first weekend in November; and
77	72		WHEREAS, Through a deep appreciation of the land and through
78	73		expertise honed over centuries, the vaquero has contributed
79	74		immeasurably to the settlement of South Texas and to the rich
80	75		ranching heritage of the Lone Star State, and it is fitting that the
81	76		county where he has played such a far-reaching role continue to be
82	77		appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it
83	78		RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
84	79		hereby redesignate Jim Hogg County as the official Vaquero Capital
85	80		of Texas; and, be it further
86	81		RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
87	82		391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
88	83		until the 10th anniversary of its designation.
89		-	* * * * *
	84	+	Guillen
	85	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	86	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	87	+	I certify that H.C.R. No. 77 was adopted by the House on May
	88	+	5, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 1, 3 present, not
	89	+	voting.
	90	+	______________________________
	91	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	92	+	I certify that H.C.R. No. 77 was adopted by the Senate on May
	93	+	26, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	94	+	______________________________
	95	+	Secretary of the Senate
	96	+	APPROVED: __________________
	97	+	Date
	98	+	__________________
	99	+	Governor