 |
Photo taken by Jamie Banks  Barton Springs by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |
This past Sunday, I went on a trip to Barton Springs sponsored by Trinity’s Outdoor Recreation Club. Located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Barton Springs consists of four natural water springs that flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The area we visited was called the Main Barton’s Spring and has been turned into a swimming pool. It's the fourth largest spring in Texas!
I spent most of the day swimming in the water and tanning on the lawn. The floor of the pool was covered with algae making it very slippery and difficult to walk. We took turns racing each other and tried not to slip. There were many unique natural species throughout the area including fish, squirrels, and insects. The pool’s most famous critter is the endangered Barton Springs Salamander. This species only lives in Barton Springs and is famous for being a lungless salamander. Ten percent of the pool’s admissions fee goes to protecting this creature.
The pool has a very unique history. Hundreds of years ago the pool was a sacred site for the Tonkawa Native Americans who used it for purification rituals. When Spanish explorers discovered the area in the 1700s, they built temporary missions surrounding it until they later moved to San Antonio. In 1837, William “Uncle Billy” Barton settled the area. He named three of the springs after his daughters (Zenobia, Parthenia, and Eliza.) Barton realized it would make a great tourist attraction and his prediction came true!
On the way back we stopped at P. Terry’s Burger Stand and then Sno Beach for snow cones. Both were delicious! I had a great time and I can’t wait for the next O-Rec adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment