HCR70 - Redesignating Jim Hogg County as the official Vaquero Capital of Texas for a 10-year period ending in 2035.

      H.C.R. No. 70       HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The vaquero is one of the iconic figures of the Lone   Star State, and today that heritage remains especially strong in   Jim Hogg County, where vaqueros have played a fundamental role in   that region's economy and culture since the arrival of the earliest   settlers; and          WHEREAS, Renowned for their horsemanship and stock-handling   abilities, vaqueros were crucial to the advance of Spanish ranching   into South Texas; their skills and fortitude contributed to the   development of large, open-range cattle ranches in the area south   of the Nueces River during the Spanish colonial era; these ranches   left an imprint on the landscape that is still visible today in   fortified stone blockhouses and ranch outbuildings, in historic   chapels and cemeteries, and in hand-dug wells and reservoirs that   were used to water enormous herds of livestock; and          WHEREAS, With the expansion of the Texas cattle industry in   the 1800s, the vaquero's traditions came to shape ranching   practices far beyond the Nueces; much of the equipment used by the   vaqueros, including the bandana, hat, chaps, lasso, spurs, and   saddle, were adopted by all Texas cowboys, as were the vaquero   techniques employed in mounted herding and roping; moreover, the   system of range and cattle management that evolved in Texas   subsequently spread across the High Plains and throughout the   American West; and          WHEREAS, Endowed with soils better suited to livestock   production than farming, the area of present-day Jim Hogg County   has beckoned ranchers for the past two centuries; the first known   grant within the borders of today's county was made to Xavier Vela   in 1805 and encompassed nearly 18,000 acres; between 1805 and 1836,   approximately 25 grants were conferred within the area; and          WHEREAS, Among the first ranches were Las Noriacitas, Las   Animas, San Antonio Viejo, Las Enramadas, Las Viboritas, El   Baluarte, and San Javier; another of the early operations, Randado,   was originally founded in 1830 by Hipolito Garcia and ultimately   became the most famous holding in the county; encompassing more   than 100,000 acres, it was renowned for its vast herd of Spanish   ponies, which by the 1870s numbered some 3,000 head, and for the   fine leather and horsehair accoutrements fashioned by its vaqueros;   the name of the ranch, in fact, refers to the production there of an   elaborate style of lasso, the randa ; Robert E. Lee, who spent time   in Texas before the Civil War, wrote about his visit to Randado, and   the ranch figures in literary works by John Houghton Allen, Tom Lea,   and J. Frank Dobie; and          WHEREAS, Ranching remains one of the chief pillars of the   economy in Jim Hogg County, and most communities in the area have   ranching roots or associations; Agua Nueva, Cuevitas, Guerra, and   Randado all originated as ranching settlements; Hebbronville, the   county seat, is located on land that once formed part of Las   Noriacitas; the town's namesake, W. R. Hebbron, acquired the site   from descendants of the original grantee about 1880, and in 1883 he   established Hebbronville along the route of the Texas Mexican   Railway; for a time, the town ranked as the largest cattle shipping   center in the country, and it remains a hub of ranching activity   today; and          WHEREAS, Over the course of more than two centuries, the   vaquero has contributed immeasurably to the rich ranching heritage   of South Texas and of the Lone Star State as a whole, and it is   indeed fitting that the county where vaqueros have played such an   influential role be appropriately recognized; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby redesignate Jim Hogg County as the official Vaquero Capital   of Texas; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section   391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect   until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally   passed by the legislature.     Guillen       ______________________________ ______________________________      President of the Senate Speaker of the House                   I certify that H.C.R. No. 70 was adopted by the House on May   1, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 137, Nays 0, 5 present, not   voting.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House                 I certify that H.C.R. No. 70 was adopted by the Senate on May   9, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.     ______________________________   Secretary of the Senate      APPROVED: __________________                   Date                       __________________                 Governor