[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO CRYSTAL CITY IN ZAVALA COUNTY, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2007

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the historic 100 
year anniversary of the founding of Crystal City in Zavala County in 
the great State of Texas.
  In 1907, two land developers, Carl F. Groos and E.J. Buckingham, set 
about developing this town on the site of the 10,000-acre Cross S 
Ranch, which they purchased in 1905. In 1908 the arrival of a railroad 
set the foundation for the city's development as a processing, packing, 
and shipping center for vegetables, and in particular the locally grown 
spinach.
  Originally named for its crystal clear artesian wells, today Crystal 
City is known as the ``Spinach Capital of the World.'' Texas Governor 
James V. Alfred bestowed the title on the city after the First Annual 
Spinach Festival was held there in 1936. Staking claim to its spinach 
status, Crystal City is also home to a larger than life statue of Elzie 
C. Segar's Popeye. The well known sailor that is ``strong to the finish 
`cause he still eats his spinach'' also serves as the Annual Spinach 
Festival mascot. Crystal City's landmark Popeye statue was erected in 
1937 and dedicated ``To All the World's Children.''
  The Spinach Festival centers on the agricultural heritage of the 
region and is held every second weekend in November. The three day 
festival attracts over 60,000 people to Crystal City and celebrates the 
production and consumption of spinach. Throughout its history, the 
festival has been recognized in issues of National Geographic, Texas 
Highway, and Texas Monthly magazines, and by the publishers of the 
Special Event Industry and Event Business News. In 1945 the California 
Packing Corporation, later the Del Monte Corporation, built an 
extensive canning plant just northwest of Crystal City.
  Today, Crystal City still serves as the center for Texas's ``Winter 
Garden'' region, an area named for its year-round production of 
vegetables by irrigation.
  This community of over 7,000 people has a historically significant 
past. During World War II, Crystal City was home to the largest alien 
internment camp housing American civilians of German, Italian and 
Japanese ancestry. On November 1, 1947, more than two years after the 
end of World War II, the Crystal City internment camp was formally 
closed.
  In the 1960s, Crystal City was also at the center of the beginning of 
the Mexican-American civil rights movement. In 1969, a conflict arising 
from the ethnicity of cheerleaders resulted in 200 Mexican-American 
students staging a walk-out from the high school, that soon spread to 
the middle and elementary schools. The U.S. Department of Justice 
became involved in the dispute and ultimately negotiated a settlement 
that paved the way for bilingual education and better testing programs.
  Crystal City's rich--and sometimes turbulent--past has made it what 
it is today, a shining example of a truly American community.
  I am proud to represent the people of Crystal City and to recognize 
the city upon its 100th anniversary.

                          ____________________