SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2
WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is pleased to recognize February
22 and 23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great State
of Texas, the City of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with
the charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso
by the Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate for the shallow
place in the river where the colonists crossed on their way to
Santa Fe, New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an
era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier
community that developed into a significant industrial,
commercial, and transportation city; and
WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and airplanes
transport manufactured goods through the border cities at the
Pass, just as Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they
guided ox-drawn carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to
Santa Fe; and
WHEREAS, With a population of three-quarters of a million
people, El Paso is the state's sixth-largest city and the
nation's 19th largest; the largest American city on the
2,000-mile United States-Mexico border, it lies north of and
across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's fifth-largest
city, which has a population of over a million people; and
WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss has recently undergone the
biggest transformation in its 169-year history; there has been a
300-percent increase in its population since 2005 and an
investment of $6 billion in construction for new,
top-of-the-line facilities for the incoming personnel and their
families, including a new billion-dollar military hospital; this
installation is at the forefront of the United States Army's
transformation plan, having transitioned from a Training and
Doctrine post to a Forces Command post, making Fort Bliss the
home of the 1st Armored Division, "America's Tank Division"; and
WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community, and
many of its residents are fluent in Spanish; its residents enjoy
a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational
institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and
museums; and
WHEREAS, El Paso Days at the State Capitol provides an
opportunity for friends and families to honor El Paso and its
rich heritage, which today is enjoyed by residents and
vacationers of all ages; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
Legislature, hereby recognize February 22 and 23, 2017, as El
Paso Days at the State Capitol and join the citizens of this
historic and vibrant region in paying tribute to this wonderful
city; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as a
memento of this special occasion.
RodrÃguez
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 22, 2017.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate