Bill Text: TX SR123 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled


Bill Title: Recognizing February 7, 2017, as Jim Wells County Day.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-02-07 - Reported enrolled [SR123 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-SR123-Enrolled.html
 
 
 
 
 
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 123
         WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is being
  celebrated February 7, 2017, and the Texas Senate takes great
  pleasure in recognizing this region and its citizens who have
  contributed to the development of the Lone Star State; and
 
         WHEREAS, In the early 1500s, Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca
  explored the area known today as Jim Wells County, and his
  records tell of tuna and prickly pear festivals held annually by
  his coastal Indian captors around the present-day City of
  Alice; and
 
         WHEREAS, The area figures prominently in the early days of
  Texas; the land became a part of Texas after it gained its
  independence from Mexico in 1836; when early settlers to the
  region arrived in 1850, N. G. Collins already had extensive
  landholdings in the area and became the namesake for a town
  established east of where Alice is now located; the town was
  short-lived, since the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was
  built two miles west of the community when landowners refused to
  sell the right-of-way through the town; and
 
         WHEREAS, In 1886, a new town developed where two rail lines
  intersected; after several name changes, the new town of Alice,
  named for Alice King, began to develop economically; located at
  that time in the northwestern part of Nueces County, the town
  eventually became the largest cattle-shipping point in the
  world; and
 
         WHEREAS, Jim Wells County was created and organized by the
  Texas Legislature on March 11, 1911, and the City of Alice became
  the county seat; originally a part of Nueces County, the county
  was named for a prominent political figure and land developer,
  James B. Wells Jr., who was also the purchasing agent for the King
  Ranch; and
 
         WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is a valuable agricultural area
  that has contributed significantly to the development of the
  southwestern part of the United States; since the mid-1800s, when
  the famous Chisholm Trail passed through the county, the cattle
  industry has played a major role in the area's economy; mesquite
  brush and grasses in the western part provide ideal grazing
  conditions for livestock, and coastal plains to the east produce
  coastal Bermuda and vegetables; and
 
         WHEREAS, In 1936, the first notable oil activity in the
  county was initiated, and the first major oil producer, The Texas
  Royalty Corporation and Lucy Petroleum Company One, was
  established northeast of Alice; the oil rush brought many new
  families to Jim Wells County; and
 
         WHEREAS, The City of Alice is situated in the geographical
  heart of South Texas and along the "Texas Tropical Trail" and is
  known as the "Hub of South Texas" due to its strategic location at
  the intersection of State Highway 44 and United States Highway
  281; its proximity to primary United States-Mexico trade routes
  connecting Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley with the Port of
  Corpus Christi has contributed to the area's development into a
  major "Hub of International Trade"; United States Highway 281 was
  named in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 as a
  key link in the future I-69 NAFTA Superhighway System; and
 
         WHEREAS, The county's economy has benefited not only from
  the oil business, ranching, cattle shipping, and cotton and grain
  production, but also from a fine public school system, a modern
  hospital, and an expanding health-related service industry; and
 
         WHEREAS, The history of Jim Wells County has been carefully
  preserved at the South Texas Museum, which has been designated a
  Texas Historical Landmark; donated by the McGill family, the
  museum was the family's old ranch headquarters; and
 
         WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County are justifiably
  proud of their unique heritage and have retained the social
  fabric of their culture through fiestas, county fairs, rodeos,
  and outdoor activities such as hunting and water sports; and
 
         WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is an
  appropriate occasion for the Texas Senate to recognize the
  residents of Jim Wells County and to commend them for their
  excellent accomplishments; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
  Legislature, hereby declare February 7, 2017, Jim Wells County
  Day at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Jim Wells County
  as they celebrate their county's many assets; and, be it further
 
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  the citizens of Jim Wells County as an expression of esteem from
  the Texas Senate.
 
  Hinojosa
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on February 7, 2017.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate
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