Green Lake (Texas)
| Green Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Calhoun County, Texas, USA |
| Coordinates | 28°31′43″N 96°50′23″W / 28.5287°N 96.8397°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 10,000 acres (40 km2) |
Green Lake is a natural tidal lake in Calhoun County, Texas on the Guadalupe River flood plain, known for its greenish waters. The lake is located twelve miles west of Port Lavaca and 22 miles south of Victoria. Even though it is less than three miles from the coast at San Antonio Bay, its waters are fresh,[1] and it is considered the largest natural freshwater lake entirely in Texas, covering 10,000 acres (40 km²).[2]
Features
Green Lake is approximately 13 miles in circumference and about two miles wide. The water level is shallow near the shoreline, but begins to fall to a maximum depth at about a hundred feet from the shore. At this point the bottom is generally flat and averages about four feet in depth. The nearby Guadalupe River frequently floods the plain, and is the main source of fresh water renewal.[3]
The shoreline is naturally grassy and poorly drained with coastal marshes between the lake and San Antonio Bay,[1] serving as a habitat for thousands of permanent egrets.[2] A levee has been constructed around certain parts of the lake to improve drainage.[4] The nearest community is the rural settlement of Green Lake, whose residents use the lake for fishing, hunting waterfowl and water sports.[1] The town of Tivoli is four miles to the southwest.
History
Wealthy cotton farmers from Kentucky established plantations and settled the fertile lands near the lake in the 1850s.[5] During the early stages of the American Civil War, Federal troops under Colonel Carlos Waite, who had replaced General David E. Twiggs, were stationed near the lake while they waited for ships to evacuate Texas. While the troops were on the lake, Texas seceded from the Union, and called for the capture of all federal military companies to either join the Confederacy or be imprisoned. Some of the remaining uncaptured companies attempted to go to Green Lake, where they could safely wait to depart, near an adequate freshwater source.[6] Several regiments would later camp at the lake during the war, and complain about mosquitos.[7]
After the war, returning residents found that their slaves, livestock and farm equipment had been taken. Most residents moved elsewhere, however, in the early 20th century, farmers returned and the town of Green Lake began to grow, with an approximate population of 300 in 1914.[5] From about 1900 to 1915, it was estimated that $100,000 of fish were caught in the lake. This finding was revealed during the 1917 Welder v. State decision, which found that dried portions of the lake could not be sold and belonged to the game, fish and oyster commission.[3] Two decades later, in the midst of the Great Depression, the population of Green Lake dwindled to 25, until oil was discovered near the lake in 1947. Twenty wells were constructed at the Green Lake oilfield, although as of 1984, only one still produced. By 2000, the population was 51, the same amount that had been reported in 1970 and 1990.[5]
In popular culture
Green Lake, Texas is the setting for Louis Sachar's 1998 novel Holes, and the 2003 film adaptation. It is described as a dry lake that had once been the largest in the state, surrounded by an affluent community. After a long drought, the lake dried up and the area became a ghost town. Camp Green Lake was established where juvenile delinquents were sent to dig the lakebed for buried treasure.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Green Lake". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. May 30, 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Texas Independence Trail". Texas Monthly. 19 (4). Emmis Communications: 98. April 1991. ISSN 0148-7736.
- ^ a b Company, West Publishing (1917). The Southwestern reporter. West Pub. Co. pp. 868–873.
- ^ McGillicuddy, Ryan (July 2009). "What Makes a Lake" (PDF). Texas Wetland News. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b c Rupert, Rebecca (May 30, 2010). "Green Lake, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ Speer, Lonnie R. (2005-11-01). Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 3â4. ISBN 9780803293427.
{{cite book}}: C1 control character in|pages=at position 3 (help) - ^ Penn, Lyon William (2009-07). Reminiscences of the Civil War. BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 230. ISBN 9781113214980.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sachar, Louis (1998). Holes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-33266-5.