|
Home >
Travel >
State Parks >
Texas >
Franklin Mountains
State Park |
Franklin Mountains State Park
|
|
123 State Park Rd 64
Fairfield TX 75840
903/389-4514
History: Fairfield Lake State Park is 1460 acres northeast of the City of
Fairfield in Freestone County. The park was acquired in 1971 - 1972 by lease
from Texas Utilities and was opened to the public in 1976.
The history of the area around Fairfield Lake State Park resembles that of much
of rural eastern Texas. Long occupied by Native Americans who exploited its
waterways, the land was first broken in the mid-nineteenth century and planted
in cotton and corn by Anglo farmers and, about a third of the time, their
African-American slaves. Following the Civil War, the crop-lien system took
root. Blacks and whites alike worked in the service of the cotton crop until
after World War II, when changes in American agriculture and increased
employment opportunities away from the farm brought an end to the era of
widespread cotton farming. Since that time, cattle ranching has prevailed
throughout the region. The human population of the Brown Creek area, never
large, is now widely scattered over the region. In this sparsely populated area,
Texas Utilities built its dam, creating Fairfield Lake as a cooling system for
its new power plant.
Activities: Activities include camping, backpacking, hiking, day use equestrian,
nature study, bird watching, boating on this 2400-acre lake, water skiing, jet
skiing, fishing, and lake swimming in a large, buoyed, sandy area.
Fishing: Fairfield Lake is warmed by the TXU Big Brown power plant. Because of
our warm water, people come from all over Texas to enjoy some fantastic winter
fishing opportunities. From November through February, we have tournaments every
weekend. Fishing Clubs from the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Waco, Austin, and
Tyler areas host tournaments here. Why drive all the way to the Texas Gulf Coast
to enjoy fishing for Red Drum! What makes Fairfield different then most lakes is
that, because of the warm winter temperatures, it is stocked with Red Drum (aka
Red Fish). The state record for Inland Red Drum was taken here at Fairfield
Lake. (44 inches, 36.83 lbs.) |
|
|
|
