McKinney Falls State Park
Encyclopedia
McKinney Falls State Park is a state park
located at the southeastern edge of Austin, Texas
, United States
around the confluence of Onion and Williamson Creeks and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
. The park opened on April 15, 1976 and is named after Thomas F. McKinney, a businessman and ranch
er, who owned and lived on the land in the mid-to-late 19th century.
Period, much of Texas
was covered by a shallow sea. The sediment
s deposited during this period lithified in to the limestone
rock underneath the park's soil and was exposed by erosion
around the creek bed. Aquatic reptile
s swam in the sea as evidenced by a complete skeleton
of a mosasaur
found in the rocks of Onion Creek not far from the park.
A volcano
, now long extinct and called "Pilot Knob
," spewed debris into the surrounding sea. The streams of soft volcanic debris eroded faster than the hard limestone. The removal of the softer layers and undercutting of the limestone by the water led the falls to be formed over millions of years.
There is evidence that hunter-gatherer
s occupied the land that is now McKinney Falls State Park at least five thousand years ago, maybe more. The tribes found water in the creek and protection among the rock shelter
s created by the same undercutting action that created the falls.
The land that the park occupies was originally part of an eleven league (about 49000 acres (19,829.6 ha)) grant that Mexican land speculator Santiago del Valle purchased from the government of Mexico
. Samuel May Williams acquired ten leagues (about 44000 acres (17,806.2 ha)) of the grant from del Valle and sold the land to Michael B. Menard who in turn sold nine leagues (about 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha)) to Thomas F. McKinney in 1839. McKinney did not move to his land until 1850 and took two years to build a stone house, barn
s and a gristmill
. The mill was destroyed by a flood in 1869 and the house by a fire in the late 1940s. McKinney lived on the land ranch
ing and raising thoroughbred
horse
s until his death on October 5, 1873. McKinney's wife, Anna, sold small parcels of land to relatives, and in 1885 she sold most of the land to James W. Smith.
In 1971, J.E. "Pete" Smith, the grandson of James Smith, donated 682 acres (276 ha) of the ranch to the State of Texas for a park. The land was appraised at $731,300 and the state received a matching federal grant
to develop the park. After archaeological
digs and surveys were completed, the park was developed. The park was dedicated on April 14, 1976 by Governor Dolph Briscoe
and opened to the public on April 15.
The Texas Legislature
also approved funds for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to construct new state offices on a bluff on the northern edge of the donated land. The offices are outside the park boundaries and only accessible by a separate road.
The park includes several designated hiking trails. The namesake features of the park are the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek.
, sycamore
s and pecan
trees line the banks of Onion Creek and live oak
, ashe juniper
, and mesquite can be found on the drier uplands. Other trees found in the park include Wafer Ash, Red Oak, Texas Persimmon
, chinaberry
, Cedar Elm and Mexican Plum
. In spring
, the roads are lined with wildflower
s, dominated by the Texas Bluebonnet. Cacti
can also be found such as the Prickly Pear
and Pencil Cactus
.
are common throughout the park, as well as raccoon
s, armadillo
s, and fox squirrel
s. Many bird species are found in the park including bunting
s.
, a limestone overhang used for shelter by Native Americans
for hundreds of years, along with the ruins of McKinney's stone house
and his horse trainer's cabin. The Smith Rock Shelter and the McKinney homestead have each been added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
children complained of cramps and nausea
after swimming in Onion Creek. Testing indicated the fecal coliform count in the water was 2600 per 100 milliliters of water, well above the 200 count maximum deemed safe for swimming.
The problem was blamed on rain water runoff from the mostly urban area located upstream on Onion and Williamson Creeks. The run off dumped animal waste, oils, dirt and debris into the creeks. Another contributor was the Williamson Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant would occasionally dump effluent
in various stages of treatment into Williamson Creek if there was equipment failure. By 1982, the plant was overloaded by the rapid growth of the city and regularly discharged effluent into the creek, not all of which met state standards for discharge.
Twelve years later in June, 1993, the park ban on swimming was finally lifted. This was due to the closure of the Williamson Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in 1986, Austin's enactment of a comprehensive watershed ordinance and starting a city wide hazardous chemicals collection program. Swimming is still often restricted because of high fecal coliform counts, usually after heavy rains.
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...
located at the southeastern edge of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
around the confluence of Onion and Williamson Creeks and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
. The park opened on April 15, 1976 and is named after Thomas F. McKinney, a businessman and ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
er, who owned and lived on the land in the mid-to-late 19th century.
Pre-history
During the CretaceousCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Period, much of 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...
was covered by a shallow sea. The sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s deposited during this period lithified in to the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rock underneath the park's soil and was exposed by erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
around the creek bed. Aquatic reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s swam in the sea as evidenced by a complete skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
of a mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
found in the rocks of Onion Creek not far from the park.
A volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, now long extinct and called "Pilot Knob
Pilot Knob (Austin, Texas)
Pilot Knob is a hill that is part of an extinct volcano located seven miles south of central Austin, Texas, near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and McKinney Falls State Park.-Introduction:...
," spewed debris into the surrounding sea. The streams of soft volcanic debris eroded faster than the hard limestone. The removal of the softer layers and undercutting of the limestone by the water led the falls to be formed over millions of years.
There is evidence that hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s occupied the land that is now McKinney Falls State Park at least five thousand years ago, maybe more. The tribes found water in the creek and protection among the rock shelter
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
s created by the same undercutting action that created the falls.
History
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Samuel May Williams acquired ten leagues (about 44000 acres (17,806.2 ha)) of the grant from del Valle and sold the land to Michael B. Menard who in turn sold nine leagues (about 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha)) to Thomas F. McKinney in 1839. McKinney did not move to his land until 1850 and took two years to build a stone house, barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
s and a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. The mill was destroyed by a flood in 1869 and the house by a fire in the late 1940s. McKinney lived on the land ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
ing and raising thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s until his death on October 5, 1873. McKinney's wife, Anna, sold small parcels of land to relatives, and in 1885 she sold most of the land to James W. Smith.
In 1971, J.E. "Pete" Smith, the grandson of James Smith, donated 682 acres (276 ha) of the ranch to the State of Texas for a park. The land was appraised at $731,300 and the state received a matching federal grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
to develop the park. After archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
digs and surveys were completed, the park was developed. The park was dedicated on April 14, 1976 by Governor Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe, Jr. was a Uvalde, Texas rancher and businessman who was the 41st Governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979....
and opened to the public on April 15.
The Texas Legislature
Texas 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...
also approved funds for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to construct new state offices on a bluff on the northern edge of the donated land. The offices are outside the park boundaries and only accessible by a separate road.
Features
Flora
Bald CypressTaxodium distichum
Taxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States.-Characteristics:...
, sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
s and pecan
Pecan
The pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South...
trees line the banks of Onion Creek and live oak
Live oak
Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
, ashe juniper
Juniperus ashei
Juniperus ashei is a drought-tolerant evergreen shrub or small tree, native to northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States north to southern Missouri; the largest areas are in central Texas, where extensive stands occur...
, and mesquite can be found on the drier uplands. Other trees found in the park include Wafer Ash, Red Oak, Texas Persimmon
Diospyros texana
Diospyros texana is a species of persimmon that is native to central and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Common names include Texas Persimmon, Mexican Persimmon and the more ambiguous "black...
, chinaberry
Melia azedarach
Melia azedarach is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native to Pakistan, India, Indochina Southeast Asia and Australia...
, Cedar Elm and Mexican Plum
Prunus mexicana
Prunus mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican Plum, is a species of plum tree that is found in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States as well as Northern Mexico. Its native range stretches from South Dakota and Ohio in the north to as far south as Alabama and Coahuila. Mexican Plum is...
. In spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
, the roads are lined with wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s, dominated by the Texas Bluebonnet. Cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...
can also be found such as the Prickly Pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
and Pencil Cactus
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
.
Fauna
White-tailed deerWhite-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
are common throughout the park, as well as raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
s, and fox squirrel
Fox Squirrel
The fox squirrel is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America...
s. Many bird species are found in the park including bunting
Bunting
Bunting can refer to:* Bunting , a group of birds* An infant sleeping bag* The act of laying down a bunt, a type of offensive play in baseball* Bunting , a lightweight cloth material often used for flags and festive decorations...
s.
Historical Sites
The park also features the Smith Rock ShelterSmith Rock Shelter
The Smith Rock Shelter is a natural limestone overhang in McKinney Falls State Park near Austin, Texas. The shelter is believed to have been used by Native Americans from 500 BCE until the 18th century. The last known occupants were related to the Tonkawa...
, a limestone overhang used for shelter by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
for hundreds of years, along with the ruins of McKinney's stone house
McKinney Homestead
The McKinney Homestead is a former limestone home built between 1850 and 1852 by Thomas F. McKinney, owner of the surrounding land. The two-story homestead was continuously occupied until it burned in the 1940s....
and his horse trainer's cabin. The Smith Rock Shelter and the McKinney homestead have each been added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Pollution
The park was a popular spot for swimming from the day it opened. In April, 1981, swimming in the park was banned when several elementary schoolPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
children complained of cramps and nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
after swimming in Onion Creek. Testing indicated the fecal coliform count in the water was 2600 per 100 milliliters of water, well above the 200 count maximum deemed safe for swimming.
The problem was blamed on rain water runoff from the mostly urban area located upstream on Onion and Williamson Creeks. The run off dumped animal waste, oils, dirt and debris into the creeks. Another contributor was the Williamson Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant would occasionally dump effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
in various stages of treatment into Williamson Creek if there was equipment failure. By 1982, the plant was overloaded by the rapid growth of the city and regularly discharged effluent into the creek, not all of which met state standards for discharge.
Twelve years later in June, 1993, the park ban on swimming was finally lifted. This was due to the closure of the Williamson Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in 1986, Austin's enactment of a comprehensive watershed ordinance and starting a city wide hazardous chemicals collection program. Swimming is still often restricted because of high fecal coliform counts, usually after heavy rains.
See also
- McKinney HomesteadMcKinney HomesteadThe McKinney Homestead is a former limestone home built between 1850 and 1852 by Thomas F. McKinney, owner of the surrounding land. The two-story homestead was continuously occupied until it burned in the 1940s....
- Smith Rock ShelterSmith Rock ShelterThe Smith Rock Shelter is a natural limestone overhang in McKinney Falls State Park near Austin, Texas. The shelter is believed to have been used by Native Americans from 500 BCE until the 18th century. The last known occupants were related to the Tonkawa...
- List of Texas state parks