SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 433 WHEREAS, Residents of Medina County are gathering in Austin for Medina County Day at the State Capitol on March 25, 2019; and WHEREAS, Situated along the divide between the scenic Hill Country and the rolling Rio Grande Plains, the area named for the Medina River was inhabited by the ancestors of Native Americans for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived in the late 1600s; during the 1700s, the region was frequented by Apache and Comanche raiding parties, and during the 1840s, it was settled by German-speaking and French-speaking farmers from the Alsace region of France, led by Henri Castro; Medina County was established in 1848, with Castroville as the county seat; and WHEREAS, By the 1880s, ranching predominated throughout Medina County, and the county's human population was vastly outnumbered by cattle and sheep; new communities sprang up alongside the railroad, and Hondo was made the county seat in 1892; during World War II, Hondo became the home of the Army Aviation Navigation School, the largest such facility in the world at the time; and WHEREAS, Today, Medina County is home to more than 50,000 people; many residents commute to nearby San Antonio, while ranching and farming, which began to thrive after the completion of the Medina Dam in 1913, support the local economy; visitors and residents alike delight in the county's ample opportunities for hunting, camping, and fishing; Hondo is home to the Hunt Hondo event, a celebration of hunting, while Castroville celebrates St. Louis Day every August in recognition of its Alsatian heritage; and WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich heritage as they work to build a bright future, the people of Medina County may take justifiable pride in the important role they play in the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby recognize March 25, 2019, as Medina County Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable visit to Austin. Flores ________________________________ President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on March 19, 2019. ________________________________ Secretary of the Senate ________________________________ Member, Texas Senate