84R5660 JGH-D
By: Nevárez H.R. No. 372
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Jeff Davis County are gathering
in Austin to celebrate Jeff Davis County Day at the State Capitol;
and
WHEREAS, This austerely beautiful region of canyons and
windswept plateaus is home to the Davis Mountains, which were first
inhabited by prehistoric peoples more than a thousand years ago;
the region was later home to the Mescalero Apaches, and the first
Spanish explorer, Antonio de Espejo, visited Limpia Canyon in 1583;
and
WHEREAS, In 1849, the U.S. Army opened a wagon road from San
Antonio to El Paso through the mountains, and in 1854, the army
established a fort on the former site of an Indian village, naming
it after Jefferson Davis, the secretary of war, and later the
president of the Confederacy; Fort Davis changed hands during the
Civil War, and the U.S. Army reoccupied it in 1867; ranchers moved
into the area in the 1880s, and Jeff Davis County was organized in
1887 with Fort Davis as the county seat; the military post was
abandoned in 1891; and
WHEREAS, Today, ranching and tourism continue to be the
mainstays of the county's economy; the county seat is home to the
Fort Davis National Historic Site, which preserves the history and
heritage of the frontier cavalry fort; the nearby Chihuahuan Desert
Nature Center features 507 acres of rolling grassland and
oak-covered hills, as well as a desert botanical garden and a
greenhouse; visitors are also drawn by the fine opportunities for
camping, birding, hiking, and horseback riding in Davis Mountains
State Park, and by the 74-mile scenic highway that winds through the
mountains; and
WHEREAS, The county is home to the McDonald Observatory of
The University of Texas at Austin and its Hobby-Eberly telescope,
one of the largest optical telescopes in the world; the
observatory's excellent visitors center offers tours and student
activities, as well as star parties several nights each week, where
the public can marvel at some of the darkest night skies in the
continental United States; and
WHEREAS, Each August, the Bloys Cowboy Camp revival meeting
is held in Skillman's Grove, and also in August, the Fort Davis
Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual hummingbird festival in the
Davis Mountains; in Fort Davis itself, citizens reenact an old
Western bank robbery every Fourth of July; and
WHEREAS, Blessed with the opportunity to live in a striking
landscape with a rich history, the resilient and independent-minded
citizens of Jeff Davis County may indeed take great pride in the
unique role their county plays in both the past and the future of
the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize Jeff Davis County Day at the State
Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes
for a memorable and meaningful visit to Austin.