TITLE: Honoring the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures Conference and Commemoration in San Elizario.

SUMMARY: Honoring the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures Conference and Commemoration in San Elizario.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Each year, the community of San Elizario pays tribute to an important early chapter in the history of Texas and the southwestern United States with the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures Conference and Commemoration; and WHEREAS, The festival looks back at events that took place in 1598, when a colonizing expedition under the command of Juan de Onate made an arduous crossing of the Chihuahuan desert in northern Mexico and arrived on the banks of the Rio Grande near the site of present-day San Elizario; the group held a feast on April 30 to give thanks for the survival of expedition members, and that celebration is considered by many people to be the first Thanksgiving in North America, having taken place 23 years before the Pilgrim settlers of the Plymouth Colony in New England held a similar observance; the meal was also significant because Juan de Onate used the occasion to formally claim the lands drained by the Rio Grande for the Kingdom of Spain; and WHEREAS, Modern-day residents of the El Paso area began commemorating the First Thanksgiving in 1989; that year, more than 100 costumed participants reenacted the historical feast at the Chamizal National Memorial, with members of the Tigua Indian community playing the parts of the Native Americans who had assisted the Spanish expedition after its arrival at the Rio Grande; the observance was attended by officials from Mexico and the United States as well as by a direct descendant of Juan de Onate, and a fiesta took place in San Elizario to coincide with the event; and WHEREAS, That initial reenactment has evolved into the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures Conference and Commemoration, which is sponsored each spring by the San Elizario Genealogy and Historical Society and by the El Paso Mission Trail Association; this fun and informative gathering includes lectures, musical performances, dance presentations, and arts and historical displays in addition to the re-creation of the feast; and WHEREAS, The lands now encompassed by the State of Texas played a prominent role in the early colonization of North America, and the organizers of the First Thanksgiving celebration are deserving of recognition for helping to focus public attention on that rich historical saga; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby honor the First Thanksgiving Celebration of Cultures Conference and Commemoration and commend the residents of San Elizario, the community's Genealogy and Historical Society, and the El Paso Mission Trail Association for hosting this outstanding event. M. Gonzalez of El Paso Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2671 was adopted by the House on May 24, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House