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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Lamar County are visiting the |
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State Capitol on April 8-9, 2015, to celebrate the role this |
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Northeast Texas county has played in the annals of the Lone Star |
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State; and |
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WHEREAS, At the time of the Republic of Texas, present-day |
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Lamar County was located within the boundaries of Red River County; |
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population growth led the Fifth Congress of the republic to |
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establish Lamar County on December 17, 1840, and the current |
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boundaries were drawn 30 years later when a portion of land was |
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carved out for the creation of Delta County; and |
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WHEREAS, Lamar County's namesake was the fourth president of |
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the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar; the small settlement of |
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Lafayette served as the first county seat, but after the Texas |
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Congress passed a law requiring that each county seat be located |
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within five miles of the county's geographic center, Mount Vernon |
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served briefly in that capacity until the town of Paris was founded |
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on 50 acres donated by George W. Wright; Paris has served as the |
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county seat since 1844; and |
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WHEREAS, Numerous early settlers migrated to Lamar County |
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through Tennessee and Kentucky and established small farms; at the |
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turn of the century, the county remained primarily rural, and |
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although the population of Paris had grown to more than 9,000, no |
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other community exceeded 1,000 residents; the industrial economy |
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gradually began to make gains on agriculture in the 20th century as |
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people moved into towns and smaller communities, and Paris played |
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an increasingly important role in the economy of Northeast Texas; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Paris is a regional hub of retail trade, |
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farming, and medical care and home to Fortune 500 companies |
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Campbell Soup Company, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Next Era |
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Energy as well as a recent major employer, James Skinner Baking |
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Company; the city is located within an excellent multimodal |
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transportation network, and in addition to numerous food and |
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consumer goods manufacturing plants, it is home to distribution |
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centers that serve the entire nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Quality of life in Paris is enhanced by Paris Junior |
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College and several excellent independent school districts, and by |
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such beautiful recreation areas as Wade Park, Lake Gibbons, Lake |
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Crook, and the Sam Bell Maxey State Historic Structure; every |
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summer, citizens enjoy the Tour de Paris bike race along the 12-mile |
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Trail de Paris, and concerts by the Paris Municipal Band, the oldest |
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such ensemble in the state; landmarks include the Culbertson |
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Fountain in the historic district, named "the prettiest plaza in |
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the State of Texas" by Texas Monthly magazine, and the "third |
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largest Eiffel Tower in the Second Largest Paris," a 65-foot-tall |
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monument constructed by local workers and capped, appropriately, |
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with a cowboy hat; and |
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WHEREAS, The industrious residents of this vibrant Texas |
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county are preserving the best of their past while working to meet |
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the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and it is indeed |
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appropriate to honor them at this time; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 8-9, 2015, as Lamar County Days |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the delegation sincere best |
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wishes for an enjoyable and informative visit. |