Lake whitneyInterpretive Guide |
Interpretive Guide of Lake whitney State Park (SP) in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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INTERPRETIVE GUIDE
THINGS TO DO AT LAKE WHITNEY SP
THE SPARKLING, CLEAR WATERS OF
LAKE WHITNEY CREATE AN OASIS IN
THE TEXAS GRAND PRAIRIE. LAKE
WHITNEY STATE PARK OFFERS
VISITORS A CHANCE TO CAMP ON
THE SHORES OF A WATER WONDERLAND NOTED FOR ITS WORLD-CLASS
Take a hike on the nature trail and explore the flora and fauna
of the park. Check for scheduled hikes with a ranger or pick up a
trail guide at the park office.
Watch the wildlife that live in the park. Morning and evening
are the best times to see white-tailed deer, armadillos, raccoons
and skunks. Please don’t feed the wildlife—nature’s foods are
healthier.
Go fishing for bass, stripers and catfish. No fishing license is
required if fishing within the state park. Be sure to ask park staff
about our tackle loaner program.
Get your binoculars and look for the over 190 species of birds
sighted at Lake Whitney, including raptors, songbirds and
waterfowl.
Learn to be a good steward of the park by becoming a Junior
Ranger at Lake Whitney State Park. Ask at the park office for
the Junior Ranger journal.
Enjoy the stars and dark night skies. Check the park’s calendar
of events for star parties hosted by local astronomy clubs.
We hope you enjoy your visit to Lake Whitney State Park.
Please help us care for the natural and cultural resources of the
park by leaving things as you find them. All of the animals, plants,
rocks, fossils and artifacts are protected so that everyone can enjoy
these natural treasures. Check the State Park Store for souvenirs of
your visit.
FISHING. THE PARK’S OAK WOOD-
Lake Whitney State Park
P.O. Box 1175 • 433 FM 1244, Whitney, TX 76692
(254) 694-3793 • www.tpwd.texas.gov/lakewhitney/
LANDS AND PRAIRIE GRASSLANDS
Cover photo courtesy of Lauren Staley.
PROVIDE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE
VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES.
© 2019 TPWD. PWD BR P4503-019J (7/19)
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.
LAKE
WHITNEY
STATE PARK
W H I T N E Y
S T A T E
P A R K
© SANDRA DAVIS
L A K E
THE LEGENDARY BRAZOS
er
Riv
os
az
Br
A Texas legend, the Brazos River cuts a path through the
heartland of Texas from the Panhandle to the coast south
of Houston. Spanish explorers thankful for fresh water
named the river “Brazos de
Dios” or the “Arms of God.”
The Comanches called it
“tohopt pah-e-hone” or “blue
water river,” and used it as a
KIMBALL BEND
travel route into
WACO
central Texas from
their homelands in
the Staked Plains.
Western songs and
HILL
folklore popularKimball
Lake Whitney
Bend
ized the river
Park
Lake Whitney SP
as cattle
BOSQUE
drives crossed
the Brazos at Waco
and Kimball Bend.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Brazos
River in 1951, creating Lake Whitney. Named for the
nearby community of Whitney, the large lake covers 37
square miles with over 225 miles of shoreline. A power
plant at the dam generates electricity as water is released
downstream.
© LAUREN STALEY
With the Brazos prone to occasional flooding, Lake
Whitney holds over 2 million acre-feet of water (about 2
million football fields covered with 12 inches of water) at
flood level, protecting Waco and other communities. In
2015, a series of heavy rainfalls caused the lake to rise to
near historic levels. Unfortunately much of the State Park
flooded but the dam protected residents downstream.
TRACES OF THE PAST
T
During the spirng and summer, the prairie comes alive with wildflowers like these Texas bluebonnets in blue, pink and white.
THE WASHITA PRAIRIE
Lake Whitney State Park lies on the Washita Prairie, the
eastern edge of the greater Grand Prairie that stretches from
the Red River south to the Colorado River. The Washita
Prairie landscape features gently rolling grasslands of little
bluestem and Indiangrass. Isolated trees and oak stands
crown the hilltops. Brown, shallow soils cover a foundation
of hard limestone rock, creating rugged white outcrops
where the soil erodes away. Ribbons of woodlands follow the
creeks and streams feeding the Brazos River.
Along the nature trail you’ll find netleaf hackberry, cedar elm,
post oak, soapberry and plateau live oak. The prairie bursts
into bloom each spring with over 40 species of wildflower,
supporting pollinating birds and insects. Listen for the sound
of woodpeckers tapping into the hardwood in search of
insects. Often used for grazing, the Washita Prairie provides a
diverse habitat for wildlife. White-tailed deer browse the
grasslands, taking cover from the heat in shady, wooded areas.
Listen for the sounds of armadillos, the “little armored ones,”
scratching through the grasses along the nature trails.
The valley of the Brazos at this place abounded with every species of timber known in Texas, grapes,
plums, and other fruit were found in profusion, honey could be obtained in almost every hollow tree,
trout and other fish were plentiful in the small creeks in the neighborhood, and the woods and prairies
about us afforded excellent grazing for our cattle and horses, but teemed with every species of game—
elk, deer, bears, wild turkeys, and at the proper season, buffalo and mustang.
J. A. Kendall, Narrative of the Texas Santa Fe Expedition, 1844
he abundance of the Brazos River
Valley provided a hospitable
landscape for human occupation
for many centuries. Archeologists have
discovered prehistoric sites dating back
more than 12,000 years along this river
valley. Native Americans settled along the banks of the
Brazos in this area during the 1800s with members of the
Comanche and Taovaya Indians migrating in the 1820s.
A village of Caddos farmed near here in the 1840s,
reportedly growing maize and watermelon while one
thousand horses grazed on the lush grasslands.
In the early 1850s, Anglo-American pioneers displaced
a community of Hainai/Ioni living here since around
1835. Towash, the Hainai chief, moved his people
upstream. The Anglo-American settlers adopted the
chief’s name for their community. Lake Whitney covers
the remnants of the once-thriving town that boasted
a water-powered gristmill and wool-carding machine.
Many Towash businesses and settlers relocated to
nearby Whitney after the arrival of the Houston and
Texas Central Railroad in 1876.