MAY 201 5 SUNRAYS | 65
ONLINE:
SCTEXAS.ORG
Pouetsu, or Land of GoodWater. In 1716,
a Spanish priest and explorer named the
river Rio De San Xavier. By the time
Williamson County was created in 1848,
it was known as the San Gabriel River.
By the 1850s, adventurous Anglo
pioneers had made their way West.
Rustic wagon crossings, commemorated
by Texas state historical markers, are
still visible along Lake Georgetown’s
shoreline and bear the names of early
settlers. Rugged hollows created by
spring-fed streams were named not only
for natural features (Sycamore, Cedar
and Walnut Spring), but also for the
enterprising individuals and families
(such as Hogg, Box, Hunt and Sawyer)
who utilized the “good water” of the San
Gabriel River to build cabins, cemeteries,
schools, mills, a church and a post office.
In 1879, an industrious entrepreneur
named James Knight established a
riverside “truck” garden, marketing
vegetables and the first strawberries
grown in Williamson County. The
ranchland along the river remained
basically unchanged until 1979, when
the course of the San Gabriel River
shifted dramatically.
Impounding the River
Frustrated by the river’s unpredictable
flooding, residents of Georgetown’s
growing community lobbied for protection.
Following decades of study and debate,
the plan to impound the river’s north
fork became part of a major flood control
measure for the Brazos River System.
Constructed over a seven-year period
by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, Lake
Georgetown’s dam was dedicated on
October 5, 1979.
Today, Lake Manager Scott Blank
oversees the Lake Georgetown Project
Office under the jurisdiction of the Fort
Worth District of the Southwestern
Division of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. Lake Georgetown supplies
water to the cities of Georgetown and
Round Rock. The Corps maintains and
operates Lake Georgetown’s extensive
park facilities, which are open year-round.
Mary Jane Berry: 4/01/2010
4/01/2011
3/07/2013
3/07/2014
3/13/2015
Ben Cardinal:
3/07/2013
Cathy Corbell:
3/07/2014
Lydia Hopkins:
4/01/2010
Alice Hunt:
4/01/2012
3/07/2013
Paul Mack:
4/01/2009
4/01/2011
4/01/2012
3/07/2013
3/07/2014
Jack Noble:
4/01/2009
4/01/2010
4/01/2012
3/07/2013
3/13/2015
Sue Morris:
4/01/2009
Marcel Plourde:
4/01/2011
Pam Redus:
4/01/2009
Larry Robertson: 4/01/2012
3/07/2013
Jim Schwoebel:
4/01/2011
David Shiflet:
4/01/2009
Doug Steinke:
4/01/2010
Roddy Wilder:
4/01/2011
4/01/2012
Jan Woolheater: 4/01/2009
4/01/2012
3/07/2013
3/07/2014
Ron Yeck:
4/01/2011
Hank Ziegler:
4/01/2011
4/01/2012
Marathoners
Good Water Loop at Lake
Georgetown
Sun City Hiking Club
Marathoners Jack Noble, Keith McDowell and Mary Jane Berry are still smiling
after 26-plus miles and twelve hours on the trail. “Friday the Thirteenth,” 2015,
marked the fifth Marathon for veteran hikers Jack and Mary Jane, while new
member Keith McDowell had tackled the day-long circuit around the lake for
the very first time.
