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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, On March 25, 2015, proud citizens of two historic |
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| 6 | 7 | | West Texas counties are gathering in Austin to celebrate Ward and |
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| 7 | 8 | | Winkler Counties Day at the State Capitol; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The territory of Ward County was originally home to |
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| 9 | 10 | | the Apache and Comanche Indians, and in 1881, the Texas and Pacific |
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| 10 | 11 | | Railway built a line through the region, with stations at Barstow |
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| 11 | 12 | | and Monahans; the county was created out of part of Tom Green County |
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| 12 | 13 | | in 1887 and named for Thomas "Peg Leg" Ward, a soldier in the Texas |
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| 13 | 14 | | Revolution who lost his leg to a cannonball; a center for ranching |
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| 14 | 15 | | and farming in its early years, the county was transformed by the |
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| 15 | 16 | | discovery of oil and gas in the 1920s; during World War II, it was |
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| 16 | 17 | | the site of Pyote Army Air Field, and in 1957, the Monahans |
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| 17 | 18 | | Sandhills State Historic Park was created in the county's northeast |
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| 18 | 19 | | corner; and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Monahans, the Ward County seat, was founded in 1880 |
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| 20 | 21 | | by an Irishman named John Thomas Monahan, an employee of the Texas |
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| 21 | 22 | | and Pacific who found water at the site, and it was incorporated in |
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| 22 | 23 | | 1928; situated at the hub of the Permian Basin, the town boasts a |
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| 23 | 24 | | welcoming business environment facilitated by easy access to two |
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| 24 | 25 | | railroads and two interstate highways; today, the area is stronger |
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| 25 | 26 | | and busier than ever, with a sharp increase in oil drilling and a |
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| 26 | 27 | | strong commitment by city and county officials to upgrade the |
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| 27 | 28 | | county's infrastructure and accommodate the growing need for |
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| 28 | 29 | | housing, industry, and retail; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, The Anasazi were the earliest known people in the |
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| 30 | 31 | | Winkler County area, and then in the 1880s, cattlemen established |
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| 31 | 32 | | large ranches on free state land; Winkler County was carved out of |
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| 32 | 33 | | Tom Green County and named after Clinton W. Winkler, a state |
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| 33 | 34 | | legislator and judge; in 1910, the county was officially organized |
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| 34 | 35 | | and the town of Kermit, named after Theodore Roosevelt's son, was |
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| 35 | 36 | | chosen as county seat; the oil boom of the 1920s brought so many |
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| 36 | 37 | | people that residents lived in tents and makeshift shelters, and a |
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| 37 | 38 | | new town, Winkler, sprang up; when the postal authorities advised |
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| 38 | 39 | | that there was another town with that name, it was swiftly shortened |
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| 39 | 40 | | to Wink; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, During the early boom years, Wink acquired a wild |
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| 41 | 42 | | and freewheeling reputation; now, although its economy is still |
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| 42 | 43 | | based on the petroleum industry and ranching, it is better known as |
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| 43 | 44 | | the hometown of music legend Roy Orbison; his first band, the Wink |
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| 44 | 45 | | Westerners, made its radio debut on Kermit station KERB, and the Roy |
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| 45 | 46 | | Orbison Museum is today one of the town's interesting attractions; |
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| 46 | 47 | | and |
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| 47 | 48 | | WHEREAS, These two storied counties hold a notable place in |
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| 48 | 49 | | frontier history, and through the years, their towns have |
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| 49 | 50 | | demonstrated a unique High Plains flair; the residents of both |
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| 50 | 51 | | counties can indeed take great pride in their colorful past as they |
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| 51 | 52 | | look forward to a bright future; now, therefore, be it |
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| 52 | 53 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 53 | 54 | | Legislature hereby recognize March 25, 2015, as Ward and Winkler |
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| 54 | 55 | | Counties Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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| 55 | 56 | | delegations sincere best wishes for an informative and enjoyable |
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| 56 | 57 | | visit to Austin. |
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