85R19943 JGH-D     By: Guillen H.R. No. 1197       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Proud members of the Perez family and residents of   Starr County are gathering on April 1, 2017, for the dedication of   an Official Texas Historical Marker at Rancho San Jose de la Mulada;   and          WHEREAS, This historic South Texas ranch dates back to   December 1787, when Don Pedro Jose Perez, an early settler,   purchased Porcion 74 from Pedro Lugo, who had been granted the land   by the king of Spain in 1767; and          WHEREAS, Although some families lost their land after the end   of the Mexican American War in 1848, Santiago Perez, the son of Don   Pedro, was able to retain possession of Porcion 74, and by the   1870s, the property had come to be known as Rancho San Jose de la   Mulada; at that time, it was home to more than 30 residents who   lived in five houses and looked after the ranch's sheep, goats,   mules, and horses; and          WHEREAS, In 1997, the ranch was featured along with other   historic Tejano ranches in an exhibit at the LBJ Presidential   Library in Austin, and in 2006, members of the Perez family donated   priceless family artifacts from the ranch to the Museum of South   Texas History; among the items were a saddle, a rifle, and a   revolver that had belonged to Deputy U.S. Marshal Casimiro Perez   Alvarez, who was the great-great-grandson of Don Pedro Jose Perez;   and          WHEREAS, The ranch continues to be owned by direct   descendants of its founder, and one of them, Araceli Perez-Davis,   who is Don Pedro's great-great-great-great-granddaughter, has   turned an old adobe cabin on the property into a museum; it was also   Ms. Perez-Davis who petitioned the Texas Historical Commission for   a state marker in 2014; and          WHEREAS, For 230 years, Rancho San Jose de la Mulada has   contributed to the rich heritage of Starr County, and the ranch's   special role in the history of South Texas is truly deserving of   this special recognition; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas   Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas   Historical Marker at Rancho San Jose de la Mulada and extend to the   Perez family and the members of the community sincere best wishes   for a meaningful and memorable event; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for the Perez family as an expression of high regard by the   Texas House of Representatives.