BlancoInterpretive Guide |
Interpretive Guide of Blanco State Park (SP) in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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INTERPRETIVE GUIDE
BLANCO
This 104-acre park provides a surprising variety of recreational
opportunities. However you enjoy the park, help us care for it
by preserving the cultural and natural resources.
PARK, THE BLANCO RIVER
• Preserve the integrity of the historic CCC structures by using
them with respect.
• Hike only on designated trails and stay out of closed areas.
• Leave no trace. Keep your park and river clean by not littering.
• Preserve the park for future generations and leave plants,
animals, and fossils where you find them.
• Get involved by joining the Friends of Blanco State Park,
a volunteer, non-profit organization committed to the
preservation, protection, and improvement of the park.
SHOWCASES
FURTHER READING
MEANDERING THROUGH THE
STONE
WHITE
TERRACES,
LIMEPECAN
FLATS, AND MAJESTIC BALD
CYPRESS TREES. THE BLUEGREEN WATERS FLOW OVER
TWO DAMS, CONSTRUCTED BY
THE
CIVILIAN
CONSERVA-
TION CORPS IN THE 1930S.
THESE TRANQUIL FALLS ARE
S TAT E PA RK
Texas State Parks and the CCC: The Legacy of the Civilian
Conservation Corps by Cynthia Brandimarte with Angela Reed,
Texas A&M University Press, 2013
Parks for Texas by James Wright Steely, University of Texas
Press, 1999.
For more information about programs or volunteering, contact
the park or visit our website and Facebook page.
101 Park Road 23 • Blanco, Texas 78606
(830) 833-4333 • www.tpwd.texas.gov/blanco
www.facebook.com/BlancoStatePark
CALLING YOU TO TAKE A DIP,
THROW OUT A LINE, OR FLOAT
© 2020 TPWD. PWD BR P4507-0012J (4/20)
In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at
the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.
TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender,
pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone
(TTY) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and
Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Texas State Parks is a division of the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
JOHN CHANDLER
IN SPRING-FED WATERS.
B L A N C O
S T A T E
P A R K
SPRINGS OF LIFE
STORIES IN STONE
The Blanco River emerges from springs bubbling up
through permeable layers of limestone 19 miles west of
the park. The Trinity aquifer and more natural springs
feed the river along its winding path. You can even see
two springs flowing inside the park.
The flowing water and
landscape are teeming
with an array of wildlife
that hunt, forage, and
raise their young here.
Birds nest in the towering
bald cypress and American
sycamore trees that anchor
the riverbanks. Great blue
herons perch atop the
Great blue heron
dams waiting for the right
moment to spear a largemouth bass. The stouter green
heron wades in the shallow waters in search of smaller fish.
Keep your eyes open for spiny softshell turtles, raccoons,
and water snakes that make their homes along the river.
T
he Great Depression of the 1930s brought hardship
to the nation. Many people faced a tough time with
few jobs, no money, and little hope. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) in 1933 to help conserve our natural resources,
and restore the nation’s hope. The CCC provided unemployed
young men, ages 18-25, the opportunity to gain skills and education while building parks and doing resource conservation.
In return, they received housing, three square meals a day, and
medical care. Moreover, they received $30 a month each, $25
being sent home to support their families.
Floodwaters plowed through Blanco State Park in 2015.
WILD AND UNRULY
Rugged hills, spring-fed creeks, and steep limestone banks
draw people to the Texas Hill Country. But heavy and
sudden rains can cause the otherwise docile rivers to become
wild and unruly, giving the Hill Country another nickname:
Flash Flood Alley.
Also in 1933, local landowners sold their land to the State
of Texas to create a park. Within a month, CCC Company
854 arrived in Blanco. They worked for 11 months, shaping
the land into the park we know today. The company of
177 men constructed dams, roads, bridges, and other park
facilities, including the stone Picnic Pavilion.
Heavy rains hammered the Hill County in May 2015 and
saturated the Blanco River watershed. On May 23, 10 to
13 inches of rain fell within 24 hours. The river rose an
astounding 30 feet. Water rushed through Blanco State
Park, and lapped at the bottom of the Highway 281 bridge.
These floodwaters caused widespread devastation and,
tragically, 11 deaths downstream.
JOHN CHANDLER
Not surprisingly, the river and springs attracted Native
Americans, the Spanish, and early settlers to the area. In
1721, a Spanish expedition named the river “Blanco” for
its white limestone banks. During the 1800s, European
settlers built homes and grazed cattle, using the available
water and land.
You can still use many of the park facilities built by CCC
enrollees, a testament to their craftsmanship. Picnic at a stone
table, or swim in a pool created by the CCC-constructed dam.
These structures have withstood the test of time and survived
many floods, including the historic 2015 flood.