By: Guillen (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.C.R. No. 77
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2015;
May 7, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on
Administration; May 21, 2015, reported favorably by the following
vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The vaquero is one of the iconic figures of the Lone
Star State, and today the heritage of the vaqueros remains
especially strong in Jim Hogg County, where they have played a
fundamental role in that region's economy and culture since the
arrival of the earliest settlers; and
WHEREAS, Renowned for their horsemanship and stock-handling
abilities, vaqueros were crucial to the advance of Spanish ranching
into South Texas; from the mid-18th century onward, their skills
and fortitude figured greatly in the development of large,
open-range cattle ranches in the region south of the Nueces River;
and
WHEREAS, These ranches left an imprint on the landscape that
is visible today in fortified stone blockhouses and in ranch
outbuildings, in chapels and cemeteries, in hand-dug wells, and in
man-made reservoirs that made it possible to assemble enormous
herds of livestock for drives north; and
WHEREAS, With the expansion of the Texas cattle industry in
the 19th century, the vaquero's traditions came to shape ranching
practices far beyond the Nueces; over the years, much of the
vaquero's equipment--his chaps, bandana, sombrero, lasso, spurs,
and saddle--became the standard gear of all Texas cowboys, while
elements of his craft, such as mounted herding and roping
techniques, also influenced early Anglo-American methods; the
system of range management and working cattle that evolved in
Texas, a system infused with vaquero lore, subsequently spread
across the High Plains and western part of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Endowed with soils better suited to livestock
production than farming, the area of present-day Jim Hogg County
has beckoned ranchers for the past two centuries; the first known
grant within the borders of today's county was made to Xavier Vela
in 1805 and encompassed nearly 18,000 acres; altogether, between
1805 and 1836, approximately 25 grants were conferred within the
county; and
WHEREAS, Among the first ranches founded in the area were
Randado, Las Noriacitas, Las Animas, San Antonio Viejo, Las
Enramadas, Las Viboritas, El Baluarte, and San Javier, while
important spreads in the latter 1800s included Randado, Las
Noriacitas, San Javier, and El Sordo; and
WHEREAS, Some of the earliest ranches to be established in
Jim Hogg County are still held by descendants of the original
owners; the most famous of these venerable ranches, Randado, was
originally occupied in 1830 by Hipolito Garcia and is now one of the
oldest continuously operated ranches in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Formerly embracing more than 100,000 acres, Randado
was famed both for its vast herd of Spanish ponies, which by the
1870s numbered some 3,000 head, and for the fine leather and
horsehair accoutrements fashioned by its vaqueros; the name of the
ranch, in fact, refers to the production there of an elaborate style
of lasso, the randa; Robert E. Lee, who spent time in Texas before
the Civil War, wrote about his visit to Randado, and the ranch
figured in literary works by John Houghton Allen, Tom Lea, and J.
Frank Dobie; and
WHEREAS, Ranching remains one of the chief pillars of the
economy in Jim Hogg County, and most communities in the area have
ranching roots or associations; Agua Nueva, Cuevitas, Guerra, and
Randado all originated as ranching settlements; and
WHEREAS, Hebbronville, the county seat, is located on land
that once formed part of Las Noriacitas; the town's namesake, W. R.
Hebbron, acquired the site from descendants of the original grantee
about 1880, and in 1883 he established Hebbronville along the route
of the Texas Mexican Railway; and
WHEREAS, For a time, Hebbronville ranked as the largest
cattle shipping center in the country, and to this day it is a hub of
ranching activity; when award-winning director/producer Hector
Galan made a documentary about the vaquero in the mid-1980s, he shot
most of the film in Hebbronville, and the city hosts an annual
Vaquero Festival every year, on the first weekend in November; and
WHEREAS, Through a deep appreciation of the land and through
expertise honed over centuries, the vaquero has contributed
immeasurably to the settlement of South Texas and to the rich
ranching heritage of the Lone Star State, and it is fitting that the
county where he has played such a far-reaching role continue to be
appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby redesignate Jim Hogg County as the official Vaquero Capital
of Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
until the 10th anniversary of its designation.
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