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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Burleson County are gathering in |
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Austin on March 29, 2017, to celebrate the unique role their county |
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has played in the history and culture of the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, Situated among rolling hills and along the broad |
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valley of the Brazos River, the rich farmland of Burleson County |
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drew Anglo-Americans to settle there during the 1820s; the Mexican |
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government placed a fort along the western bank of the Brazos to |
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stem the tide of new inhabitants, but the fort's commander, |
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Lieutenant Colonel Jose Francisco Ruiz, eventually sided with the |
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Texans and became a signer of the Texas Declaration of |
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Independence; and |
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WHEREAS, The town of Caldwell was founded in 1840, and six |
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years later the state legislature established Burleson County, |
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naming it after Texas revolutionary hero General Edward Burleson |
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and choosing Caldwell as the county seat; during the last half of |
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the 19th century, European immigrants, especially Germans, |
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Austrians, Czechs, and Italians, moved to the area and often set up |
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their own communities; and |
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WHEREAS, Burleson County is part of the Presidential Corridor |
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linking the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin and the George Bush |
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Presidential Library and Museum in College Station; only 90 minutes |
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from Houston and less than three hours from San Antonio to the |
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southwest and Dallas/Fort Worth to the north, the county's central |
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location serves as a friendly passage for thousands of travelers, |
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many of whom stay at the county's motels, bed and breakfast |
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establishments, and campgrounds and take advantage of its numerous |
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fine attractions; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy the county's |
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seasonal festivals, such as the Chilifest and Snook Fest in Snook, |
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and the Great Texas LakeFest, which draws thousands of people to |
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Welch Park along scenic Lake Somerville; they also may celebrate |
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the county's Czech heritage at the Kolache Festival, held every |
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September in Caldwell, which was proclaimed the Kolache Capital of |
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Texas by the Texas Legislature in 1989; and |
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WHEREAS, The county's history is on display at the Kraitchar |
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House Museum, the Somerville Area Museum, the Burleson County Czech |
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Heritage Museum, the Caldwell Visitors Center Museum, and the |
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Burleson County Historical Museum, and throughout the county are 66 |
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historical markers and 120 historic cemeteries; there are also the |
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opportunities for recreation afforded by Davidson Creek Park in |
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Caldwell and the city parks in Somerville and Snook; and |
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WHEREAS, Honoring the past as they work toward an even |
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brighter future, the citizens of Burleson County may take great |
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pride in the role their communities continue to play in the story of |
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the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 29, 2017, as Burleson County Day |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
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best wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in Austin. |