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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, Citizens of Presidio County are visiting Austin on |
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| 6 | 7 | | this date in celebration of Presidio County Day at the State |
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| 7 | 8 | | Capitol; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, An area steeped in history and possessed of a |
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| 9 | 10 | | frontier mystique, Presidio County lies in the Trans-Pecos region |
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| 10 | 11 | | of Southwest Texas and is bordered by the Rio Grande and Mexico; its |
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| 11 | 12 | | desert terrain varies from rolling plains to canyons and volcanic |
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| 12 | 13 | | cliffs and rises to some of the state's tallest mountain ranges, as |
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| 13 | 14 | | well as to its highest waterfall, Capote Falls, with a drop of 175 |
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| 14 | 15 | | feet; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Diverse populations of Paleo-Indians once roamed |
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| 16 | 17 | | Presidio County, and Jumanos, Apaches, and Comanches were present |
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| 17 | 18 | | in the area when Spanish missions arrived in the 1680s; the |
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| 18 | 19 | | outskirts of present-day Presidio, where corn farmers of the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Cochise culture settled around 1500 B.C., is believed to contain |
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| 20 | 21 | | the oldest continuously cultivated farmland in Texas, and in the |
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| 21 | 22 | | 19th century, a settlement was founded on Cibolo Creek by José |
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| 22 | 23 | | Ygnacio Ronquillo, who was issued a constitutional land grant in |
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| 23 | 24 | | 1832; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Presidio County was established from parts of the |
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| 25 | 26 | | Bexar Land District on January 3, 1850, and organized a |
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| 26 | 27 | | quarter-century later; initially the largest county in the United |
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| 27 | 28 | | States at 12,000 square miles, it eventually relinquished land and |
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| 28 | 29 | | today holds the claim of fourth-largest county in the state at |
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| 29 | 30 | | nearly 3,860 square miles; its original county seat was Fort Davis, |
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| 30 | 31 | | which became part of Jeff Davis County, and the Presidio County |
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| 31 | 32 | | government relocated to Marfa two years after the town's founding |
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| 32 | 33 | | in 1883; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, From the 1880s to the 1940s, silver mining was a |
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| 34 | 35 | | leading industry in Presidio County after a silver deposit was |
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| 35 | 36 | | found in the Chinati Mountains by local rancher and trader John W. |
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| 36 | 37 | | Spencer; his discovery led to the opening of Presidio Mine, which |
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| 37 | 38 | | would produce more than 32.6 million ounces of silver over the |
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| 38 | 39 | | course of its existence; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Today, the local economy is based primarily on |
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| 40 | 41 | | agriculture; in the southern portion of the county, the loamy soil |
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| 41 | 42 | | provides fertile ground for growing tomatoes, melons, onions, |
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| 42 | 43 | | grain, and cotton, while ranchers have traditionally raised sheep |
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| 43 | 44 | | and cattle, including the famed Highland Hereford, wherever there |
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| 44 | 45 | | is adequate pastureland; although no permanent streams exist in the |
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| 45 | 46 | | county, the completion of Elephant Butte Dam across the Rio Grande |
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| 46 | 47 | | in 1910 created a reliable supply of irrigation water, greatly |
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| 47 | 48 | | increasing farming production; and |
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| 48 | 49 | | WHEREAS, Presidio, with a population of nearly 4,500, is the |
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| 49 | 50 | | county's largest town and home to the Fort Leaton historic site, a |
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| 50 | 51 | | public museum containing ruins, exhibits, and nature trails; the |
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| 51 | 52 | | county seat of Marfa has some 2,000 people and boasts historical |
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| 52 | 53 | | attractions as well as an active local arts scene, including the |
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| 53 | 54 | | world-renowned Chinati Foundation; the town has become a popular |
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| 54 | 55 | | tourist draw for its vintage charm and art and for the mysterious |
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| 55 | 56 | | Marfa Lights, an atmospheric phenomenon first observed in the night |
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| 56 | 57 | | sky in 1883; and |
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| 57 | 58 | | WHEREAS, With its friendly people, majestic scenery, and |
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| 58 | 59 | | sundry intangible qualities, Presidio County is truly a treasure of |
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| 59 | 60 | | the Lone Star State, and it is indeed a pleasure to celebrate the |
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| 60 | 61 | | heritage and contributions of this storied region; now, therefore, |
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| 61 | 62 | | be it |
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| 62 | 63 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 63 | 64 | | Legislature hereby recognize Presidio County Day at the State |
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| 64 | 65 | | Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes |
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| 65 | 66 | | for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. |
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