Recognizing the revitalization efforts at Rio Vista Farm on the occasion of Preservation Month 2025.

89(R) SR 524 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 524

WHEREAS, Preservation Month is taking place in May 2025,

providing a fitting opportunity to recognize Rio Vista Farm in

Socorro; and

WHEREAS, Rio Vista Farm was initially established in the

early 1900s to serve as a poor farm and institutional campus;

from 1951 to 1964, it served as a processing center for the

Bracero Program, an initiative established by the governments of

the United States and Mexico that brought Mexican laborers to the

U.S. to legally work in the American agricultural and railroad

industries; as one of the first and most active bracero centers

in the U.S., Rio Vista processed hundreds of thousands of workers

over the course of its operation; and

WHEREAS, Efforts to preserve Rio Vista resulted in the farm

being designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of

the Interior on December 13, 2023, the first landmark established

in Far West Texas in over two decades; the revitalization process

has been guided by the City of Socorro and its historic

preservation officer, Victor Reta; the city has embarked on a

$35 million rehabilitation and capital improvement project to

restore the campus and adapt it for public use as a cultural

destination by establishing a museum and education center; and

WHEREAS, The preservation of Rio Vista Farm honors the

contributions that the braceros and other immigrant groups have

made to our state and nation, and by investing in this

historically significant site, the City of Socorro is ensuring

that it will be appreciated for generations to come; now,

therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th

Legislature, hereby honor the revitalization efforts at Rio

Vista Farm on the occasion of Preservation Month 2025 and extend

to all those associated with the initiative sincere best wishes

for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be

prepared for the City of Socorro as an expression of high regard

from the Texas Senate.

Blanco

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the

above Resolution was adopted by

the Senate on May 15, 2025.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate