88R15380 TBO-D
By: Leo-Wilson H.R. No. 447
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family farms and ranches have long been essential to
the economy and culture of the Lone Star State, and the White Ranch
in Chambers County is indeed deserving of recognition for its
important role in the history of Southeast Texas; and
WHEREAS, The White Ranch traces its origins back to 1828,
when James Taylor White settled in present-day Chambers County and
established the first Anglo-owned cattle ranch in Texas; the
operation began with a stock of a dozen cattle, and over the years,
the herd grew to some 10,000 head; a pioneer in the cattle-raising
industry, Mr. White developed what would stand for many years as the
industry's prime business model, trailing cattle from the ranch
where they were raised to market; he drove his cattle along the
Opelousas Trail to a more lucrative market in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, The ranch has been operated by the White family for
many generations, and its original "Crossed W" brand is the oldest
Texas cattle brand in continuous use; during the 1860s, James
Taylor White II and his brother-in-law, James Jackson, built one of
the first cattle fences at the ranch; today, James Taylor White's
great-great-great-grandson Bill White and his wife, Katherine, are
holding the reins, and they have continued the tradition of
swimming their cattle across the Intracoastal Canal each fall to
winter pasture on Bolivar Peninsula and then back in the spring; and
WHEREAS, For nearly two centuries, the White Ranch has
contributed to the rich heritage of Southeast Texas, and the White
family may take great pride in all they have done to make the ranch
one of the treasures of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize the White Ranch as the oldest
Anglo-owned cattle ranch in continuous operation in Southeast Texas
and extend to the members of the White family sincere best wishes
for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the family as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.