San Marcos Springs

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about San Marcos Springs. Now settle in, because this story starts a long, long time before anybody thought to put a name on anything. These springs, right here at the Balcones Escarpment, a geologic fault line that cuts clean across the state of Texas separating upland from lowland, have been pouring forth millions of gallons of clear, icy water every single day.

Every. Single. Day.

The kind of water that makes a person stop whatever they're doing and just stare. The springs feed the San Marcos River and the whole 1,380-square-mile area that river drains. And you better believe that kind of abundance draws a crowd.

The Indians who inhabited Central Texas knew it. They made these springs a mecca long before anyone else arrived. Then came the European explorers and settlers, following what the water had already been whispering for generations.

Now here's where the naming gets a little complicated, so pay attention. The name San Marcos was first given to a Texas river by the Alonso de Leon Expedition on April 26, 1689. That happened to be Saint Mark's Day.

But that name wasn't applied to this particular river until 1709. Twenty years later in the calendar, same name, different water. Other explorers kept coming through, inspecting the area, and by 1755 it had become a temporary site for several Spanish missions.

Then almost a century passes. Nearly a hundred years of history quietly flowing downstream. And in 1845, two pioneers, William W.

Moon and Mike Sessom, made a permanent settlement here. That was the foothold. Then in 1851, General Edward Burleson, William Lindsey, and Eli T.

Merriman bought the adjacent land and on it laid out the town of San Marcos. A town built right beside springs that had been drawing people in since before anyone was keeping records. And the story doesn't stop there.

In 1926, a man named A. B. Rogers, attracted by the scenic beauty of the area, started a park here.

Over the years it was developed into Aquarena Springs, one of Central Texas' most popular tourist attractions. Millions of gallons of water a day, flowing out of the earth the same as always. The springs didn't change.

People just kept finding reasons to stay.

What the marker says

Pouring forth millions of gallons of clear, icy water daily, these springs feed the san Marcos River and the 1,380-square-mile area which it drains. The immense springs rise at the Balcones Escarpment, a geologic fault line which slices across the state, separating upland from lowland Texas. The abundance of fresh water made these springs a mecca for the Indians who inhabited Central Texas and later for the European explorers and settlers who followed. The name San Marcos was first given to a Texas River by the Alonso de Leon Expedition on April 26, 1689 (Saint Mark's Day). The name was not applied to the present river, however, until 1709. Other explorers inspected this area and in 1755 it became a temporary site for several Spanish missions. Almost a century later, in 1845, pioneers William W. Moon and Mike Sessom made a permanent settlement here. In 1851 Gen. Edward Burleson, william Lindsey, and Eli t. Merriman bought the adjacent land and on it laid out the town of San Marcos. Attracted by the scenic beauty of the area, A. B. Rogers started a park here in 1926. Over the years it has been developed into "Aquarena Springs," one of Central Texas' most popular tourist attractions.