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.