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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Residents of Val Verde County and the city of |
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| 8 | 9 | | Del Rio are gathering in Austin on April 2, 2025, to celebrate Val |
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| 9 | 10 | | Verde County-Del Rio Day at the State Capitol; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The earliest inhabitants of the region resided in |
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| 11 | 12 | | the Lower Pecos Canyon, near present-day Comstock, between 6,000 |
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| 12 | 13 | | and 10,000 years ago, and they left behind numerous cave paintings |
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| 13 | 14 | | and artifacts; in 1535, Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca |
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| 14 | 15 | | crossed what is now known as the Devils River, an area that was then |
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| 15 | 16 | | home to the Lipan Apache, Coahuiltecan, Jumano, and Tamaulipan |
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| 16 | 17 | | people and was later frequented by the Comanche; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The community of San Felipe Del Rio, which later |
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| 18 | 19 | | adopted the shortened name of Del Rio, was established in 1868, and |
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| 19 | 20 | | Val Verde County was organized in 1885; that same year, the colorful |
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| 20 | 21 | | Judge Roy Bean was elected justice of the peace in Langtry, where he |
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| 21 | 22 | | became known as "the Law West of the Pecos," making his distinctive |
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| 22 | 23 | | rulings from the Jersey Lilly Saloon; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Since its earliest days, Val Verde County has been a |
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| 24 | 25 | | center for sheep and goat ranching, and the wool and mohair |
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| 25 | 26 | | industries continue to be central to its economy; other important |
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| 26 | 27 | | employers include the National Park Service, the U.S. Border |
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| 27 | 28 | | Patrol, and Laughlin Air Force Base, the largest pilot training |
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| 28 | 29 | | facility in the U.S. Air Force; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Tourism and trade with Mexico are also important to |
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| 30 | 31 | | the county; opportunities for boating, fishing, birding, and hiking |
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| 31 | 32 | | are found at the Amistad National Recreation Area, and the |
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| 32 | 33 | | Whitehead Memorial Museum in Del Rio and the Judge Roy Bean Visitor |
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| 33 | 34 | | Center in Langtry attract visitors interested in the heritage of |
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| 34 | 35 | | the county's frontier days; in addition, the Laughlin Heritage |
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| 35 | 36 | | Foundation Museum educates the public on the significance of air |
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| 36 | 37 | | power in national security; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich history as they work to build |
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| 38 | 39 | | an even brighter future, the people of Val Verde County may take |
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| 39 | 40 | | great pride in the important role their unique area continues to |
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| 40 | 41 | | play in the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Legislature hereby recognize April 2, 2025, as Val Verde County-Del |
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| 43 | 44 | | Rio Day at the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the |
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| 44 | 45 | | visiting delegation. |
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