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

89(R) HCR 70 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

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