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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, Proud residents of Loving County are gathering in |
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| 6 | 7 | | Austin to celebrate Loving County Day at the State Capitol; and |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The geographically smallest county in the Permian |
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| 8 | 9 | | Basin, Loving County lies to the east of the Pecos River in the |
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| 9 | 10 | | Chihuahuan Desert along the Texas-New Mexico border; its 674 square |
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| 10 | 11 | | miles of desert, low rolling hills, playas, and dry draws were |
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| 11 | 12 | | carved out of Tom Green County in 1887 and named in honor of Oliver |
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| 12 | 13 | | Loving, an early Texas cattleman; privately organized by |
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| 13 | 14 | | out-of-state businessmen in 1893, the county was officially |
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| 14 | 15 | | attached to Reeves County by the state legislature four years |
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| 15 | 16 | | later; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, In 1931, Loving County was reorganized, becoming the |
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| 17 | 18 | | only Texas county to be organized twice and the last to be |
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| 18 | 19 | | established; its fortunes had risen with the discovery of oil in the |
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| 19 | 20 | | 1920s and the founding of the town of Ramsey; new residents came to |
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| 20 | 21 | | the community from the nearby settlement of Porterville and beyond; |
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| 21 | 22 | | as the county seat, Ramsey was soon given the name of Mentone, which |
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| 22 | 23 | | originally designated the old, abandoned county seat 12 miles to |
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| 23 | 24 | | the north; the historic Loving County Courthouse was built in |
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| 24 | 25 | | Mentone in 1935; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Cattle ranching has remained an important part of |
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| 26 | 27 | | the local economy since the 1800s, but oil and gas production, the |
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| 27 | 28 | | primary industry, has become even more dominant in recent years; |
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| 28 | 29 | | while Loving County has long ranked as the most rural county in the |
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| 29 | 30 | | nation--and with 95 citizens now living there, is among the least |
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| 30 | 31 | | populous--the number of residents has grown with the energy boom, |
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| 31 | 32 | | and more people come during the day to work in the oil fields; |
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| 32 | 33 | | still, the wide-open spaces of Western songs are no mere memory |
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| 33 | 34 | | here, and the abundant wildlife includes quail, deer, javelinas, |
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| 34 | 35 | | bobcats, coyotes, and armadillos; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Citizens may take great pride in the rugged beauty |
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| 36 | 37 | | and rich traditions of Loving County as they look forward to the |
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| 37 | 38 | | myriad challenges and opportunities of the future; now, therefore, |
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| 38 | 39 | | be it |
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| 39 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 40 | 41 | | Legislature hereby recognize Loving County Day at the State Capitol |
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| 41 | 42 | | and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an |
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| 42 | 43 | | informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |
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