Garner State Park
Encyclopedia
Garner State Park is a state park
in Uvalde County
, Texas
in the United States
. Garner State Park, in the Texas Hill Country
, is the most popular state park in Texas for overnight camping
. It often fills by noon in peak parts of the season. The park is popular with campers and local residents for the dances held nightly during the summer and spring.
, and 10 miles (16 km) north of Concan, Texas
, on west side of the Frio River
. Entrance is ca. 10 miles (16 km) north of Concan via US Hwy 83 to Ranch-to-Market Road 1050, then 1.2 mile (1.9 km) east of US Hwy 83.
provided funding for state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps
made the park’s original improvements, which included a large pavilion
and a concessions building. The property was conveyed to the State Parks Board in 1936, and it opened as Garner State Park in 1941. The park was named for John Nance Garner
, former Vice-President of the United States who lived and practiced law in the Concan area. The park's size more than doubled when 790 acres (319.7 ha) were added in 1976.
Other activities at the park include hiking, nature study, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, miniature golf (seasonal), paddle boat and kayak rentals (spring and summer), and bicycle riding.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in Uvalde County
Uvalde County, Texas
Uvalde County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 25,926. Its county seat is Uvalde. The county is named for Juan de Ugalde, the Spanish governor of Coahuila. Uvalde County was founded by Reading Wood Black who also founded the city of Uvalde,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Garner State Park, in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
, is the most popular state park in Texas for overnight camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
. It often fills by noon in peak parts of the season. The park is popular with campers and local residents for the dances held nightly during the summer and spring.
Location
Garner State Park is located at 29.591 North, 99.744 West: 76 miles (122 km) west of San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, and 10 miles (16 km) north of Concan, Texas
Concan, Texas
Concan is a small community in Uvalde County in the southwestern part of the Hill Country of Texas. It sits along the Frio River close to Garner State Park and is a popular destination for summer vacationers. It is also well-known for the excellent birdwatching in the spring...
, on west side of the Frio River
Frio River
The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word frio is Spanish for cold, a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river.-Geography:The Frio River has three primary feeds; the East, West, and Dry Frio rivers...
. Entrance is ca. 10 miles (16 km) north of Concan via US Hwy 83 to Ranch-to-Market Road 1050, then 1.2 mile (1.9 km) east of US Hwy 83.
History
The land for Garner State Park was acquired in 1934 through 1936. In 1934, the Texas State Parks Board approved the location for a future state park, and the Texas LegislatureTexas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
provided funding for state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
made the park’s original improvements, which included a large pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
and a concessions building. The property was conveyed to the State Parks Board in 1936, and it opened as Garner State Park in 1941. The park was named for John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :...
, former Vice-President of the United States who lived and practiced law in the Concan area. The park's size more than doubled when 790 acres (319.7 ha) were added in 1976.
Recreation
Garner State Park is the most popular state park in Texas for overnight camping, with more than 200,000 campers per year. Some WPA-era cabins are available, and reservations are recommended during summer weekends and spring break. Cabins are under renovation and not available until ca. 2012.Other activities at the park include hiking, nature study, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, miniature golf (seasonal), paddle boat and kayak rentals (spring and summer), and bicycle riding.
Miscellaneous
- Frio County, Texas is named for the river.
- Some cypress trees, Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum, along the Frio River and including individuals within Garner State Park TX, exceed 22 ft (6.7m) circumference and about 86ft (about 26m) height, and may be over 300 years old. A flood-damaged Bald Cypress, on the Frio bank opposite Garner State Park and a short distance above the small dam that forms the park's swimming area, was removed in the early 1990s. Its stump, about one foot (0.3m) above ground level and about 10ft (3.1m) circumference, exhibits at least 160 yearly growth rings.
- In the community of Rio Frio about 10 mi (16 km) ENE of Garner State Park is the largest Live oakLive oakLive oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
(Quercus virginiana) tree yet identified in Texas.