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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 Jeff Davis County are gathering |
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| 6 | 7 | | in Austin to celebrate Jeff Davis County Day at the State Capitol; |
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| 7 | 8 | | and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, This austerely beautiful region of canyons and |
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| 9 | 10 | | windswept plateaus is home to the Davis Mountains, which were first |
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| 10 | 11 | | inhabited by prehistoric peoples more than a thousand years ago; |
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| 11 | 12 | | the region was later home to the Mescalero Apaches, and the first |
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| 12 | 13 | | Spanish explorer, Antonio de Espejo, visited Limpia Canyon in 1583; |
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| 13 | 14 | | and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, In 1849, the U.S. Army opened a wagon road from San |
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| 15 | 16 | | Antonio to El Paso through the mountains, and in 1854, the army |
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| 16 | 17 | | established a fort on the former site of an Indian village, naming |
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| 17 | 18 | | it after Jefferson Davis, the secretary of war, and later the |
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| 18 | 19 | | president of the Confederacy; Fort Davis changed hands during the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Civil War, and the U.S. Army reoccupied it in 1867; ranchers moved |
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| 20 | 21 | | into the area in the 1880s, and Jeff Davis County was organized in |
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| 21 | 22 | | 1887 with Fort Davis as the county seat; the military post was |
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| 22 | 23 | | abandoned in 1891; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Today, ranching and tourism continue to be the |
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| 24 | 25 | | mainstays of the county's economy; the county seat is home to the |
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| 25 | 26 | | Fort Davis National Historic Site, which preserves the history and |
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| 26 | 27 | | heritage of the frontier cavalry fort; the nearby Chihuahuan Desert |
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| 27 | 28 | | Nature Center features 507 acres of rolling grassland and |
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| 28 | 29 | | oak-covered hills, as well as a desert botanical garden and a |
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| 29 | 30 | | greenhouse; visitors are also drawn by the fine opportunities for |
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| 30 | 31 | | camping, birding, hiking, and horseback riding in Davis Mountains |
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| 31 | 32 | | State Park, and by the 74-mile scenic highway that winds through the |
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| 32 | 33 | | mountains; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, The county is home to the McDonald Observatory of |
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| 34 | 35 | | The University of Texas at Austin and its Hobby-Eberly telescope, |
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| 35 | 36 | | one of the largest optical telescopes in the world; the |
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| 36 | 37 | | observatory's excellent visitors center offers tours and student |
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| 37 | 38 | | activities, as well as star parties several nights each week, where |
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| 38 | 39 | | the public can marvel at some of the darkest night skies in the |
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| 39 | 40 | | continental United States; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Each August, the Bloys Cowboy Camp revival meeting |
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| 41 | 42 | | is held in Skillman's Grove, and also in August, the Fort Davis |
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| 42 | 43 | | Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual hummingbird festival in the |
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| 43 | 44 | | Davis Mountains; in Fort Davis itself, citizens reenact an old |
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| 44 | 45 | | Western bank robbery every Fourth of July; and |
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| 45 | 46 | | WHEREAS, Blessed with the opportunity to live in a striking |
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| 46 | 47 | | landscape with a rich history, the resilient and independent-minded |
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| 47 | 48 | | citizens of Jeff Davis County may indeed take great pride in the |
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| 48 | 49 | | unique role their county plays in both the past and the future of |
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| 49 | 50 | | the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 51 | 52 | | Legislature hereby recognize Jeff Davis County Day at the State |
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| 52 | 53 | | Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes |
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| 53 | 54 | | for a memorable and meaningful visit to Austin. |
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