[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 3266-3267] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING WILSON COUNTY, TEXAS ______ HON. HENRY CUELLAR of texas in the house of representatives Thursday, March 11, 2010 Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Wilson County, Texas on its sesquicentennial year. It was 150 years ago when Wilson County was founded in South Texas by an act of the state legislature. The area is rich in culture and history and serves a great part to the state of Texas. Before the founding of the county, the first Spanish explorers traveled the area in the [[Page 3267]] early eighteenth century and used the land mostly for ranching. Most notably, the birthplace of ranching took place at Rancho de las Cabras. This was a ranching outpost for Mission San Francisco de la Espada where the first ranches and cowboys settled near Floresville in Wilson County. By the 1800s, Mexicans, Anglo American, German and Polish settlers began moving into the area. Soon after, the state Legislature founded Wilson County on February 13, 1860. The county was named after James Charles Wilson, who was an early settler of Texas and a state legislator. Throughout the years, Wilson County has played a significant role in South Texas history. After the Civil War, Wilson County's population underwent the greatest growth due to the completion of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, which reached Floresville in 1886. By the early nineteenth century, farmers who were once known for cotton crops as the most important cash crop, then diversified into a wider range of like peas, watermelons, and peanuts. Today, some call Floresville the ``Peanut Capital of Texas.'' Wilson County residents have served valiantly in combat from the Civil War to today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. One hundred and fifty years has shaped the county and development of Texas through its rich culture and history and of a diversified economy that includes farming, ranching, and even oil discovery. Wilson County includes towns and cities such as, Floresville, La Vernia, Pandora, Poth, Stockdale, Sutherland Springs, and communities such as Carpenter, Calaveras, Canada Verde, Grass Pond Colocy, Kicaster, Doseido Colony, Saspameo and Sandy Hills. It totals 809 square miles and has a population of more than 40,000. From a legacy in ranching, to its honorable natives and rich historical culture, Wilson County celebrating its sesquicentennial year is a milestone for the county and for Texas. I am honored to have had this time to recognize Wilson County on its sesquicentennial year. ____________________