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Lake Corpus Christi
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Lake Corpus Christi State Park
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Box 1167
Mathis TX 78368
361/547-2635
History: Lake Corpus Christi State Park, a 14,111.78-acre park, located in San
Patricio, Jim Wells and Live Oak Counties, southwest of Mathis, was leased from
the City of Corpus Christi in 1934 (until 2032) and was opened in 1934. Many of
the park's facilities were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during
the 1930s. This 21,000-acre lake was formed by damming the Nueces River.
In January 1929, a reservoir called Lake Lovenskiold was created in this valley
with the construction of La Fruita Dam across the Nueces River, which washed out
in November that same year. The dam was rebuilt in 1935, with federal funds
provided by President Roosevelt’s New Deal, and the name changed to Lake Corpus
Christi.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 886 developed the 365-acre Lake
Corpus Christi State Park between 1934 and 1935 on a cove where San Patricio,
Jim Wells, and Live Oak counties converge. CCC buildings included a bathhouse,
park residence, and a refectory, but only the refectory remains. This
Mediterranean-style building was built of cast blocks of local caliche. The
blocks were cast in various sizes and laid in a random-ashlar pattern, closely
resembling cut limestone.
By the 1940s, as the new reservoir lost storage capacity from silting, it became
evident that a new and larger dam and reservoir would be necessary. Opposition
to the new dam by landowners in the proposed flood pool resulted in litigation
that delayed construction for many years. The local water supply district
finally won a favorable court decision, and the present dam was completed in
1958. Named in honor of Wesley E. Seale, chairman of the Lower Nueces River
Water Supply District, the new dam made Lake Corpus Christi one of the largest
artificial bodies of water in Texas. It covers 21,000 acres, with a capacity of
300,000-acre-feet at the spillway elevation of 94 feet above sea level.
Area History: The present site of Lake Corpus Christi State Park overlooks an
impoundment of the Nueces River, which was a the disputed boundary between Texas
and Mexico after the Texas Revolution. The Rio Grande became the boundary at the
end of the war between the two nations, officially making this area a part of
Texas. Once inhabited by Karankawa and Lipan Apache Indians, this area became
the site of several settlement attempts in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1858,
Lagarto, now a ghost town a few miles northwest of the park, evolved from a
Mexican settlement of grass-thatched huts. Today, there are a few remains of
this town, which began a steady decline when its leaders rejected the building
of a railroad through the community in 1887.
Activities: Activities are camping; picnicking; boating (motors allowed); water
skiing; fishing; swimming (unsupervised beach); bird watching; and hiking.
* Check the Calendar of Events for this park. |
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