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San Pedro Springs
Some scholars believe Cabeza De Vaca may have camped here in 1535, making it one of the oldest historical sites in North America. By 1680 the Spanish had begun to fear French expansion into lands claimed by Spain, and between 1709 and 1722 several Spanish entradas, or formal expeditions, made their way across Texas. These explorers realized the gentle plain below San Pedro Springs was a strategic spot for a permanent stronghold against French incursion. Father Isidro Felix de Espinosa, one of the leaders of an expedition in 1709, gave the Springs their name and provided the first known description:
Franciscan missionary Antonio de San Buenaventuara y Olivares also arrived with the 1709 expedition and became interested in this area of Texas and the intelligent Papaya Indians. He began a nine year campaign to build a mission here. He got his chance in 1718 when Martin de Alarcon, a Spanish soldier of fortune and governor of the province of Texas, was sent to establish a presidio and settlement. Many delays in mounting the expedition led to acrimony between Alarcon and Olivares, and they took separate routes to their destination. On May 1, 1718 Olivares broke ground just west of San Pedro Springs, built a hut of brush and grapevines, offered Mass, and named his mission San Antonio de Valero. This marked the establishment of San Antonio's first permanent settlement by Europeans. Meanwhile, Alarcon chose the creek just below the Springs for the site of the Royal Presidio, which became the focal point of Spanish defense in western Texas and San Antonio. Olivares' little mission later became known as the Alamo and the shrine of Texas liberty. Originally, the mission was not on the San Antonio River where the famous battle was fought. After establishment west of the Springs in 1718, the mission was moved to the east side of the Springs in 1719 where farmland was better, and then was moved to the location now occupied by St. Joseph's church. Hurricane floods destroyed it in 1724 and the mission was then moved to its final location on the banks of the San Antonio River (Noonan-Guerra, 1987). San Pedro Park was created in 1729 when King Philip V of Spain declared the land surrounding the Springs to be an ejido, or public land. Two years later, in 1731, the ejido was used for the first time in the public interest when the commander of the Royal Presidio designated it the temporary farming land of 56 men, women, and children who had just arrived from the Canary Islands. As such, the land around the Springs was also the site of San Antonio's first permanent settlement by European civilians. Until their arrival, the only colonists had been the military and religious missionaries. In 1731-34 missionairies used Indian laborers to construct an acequia to carry water from the Spring headwaters toward town for irrigation and household use. The acequia is still there and occasionally carries a trickle of water from spring c in the graphic below. Though declared a public land in 1729, it took more than a century for the area around the Springs to take on the appearance of a modern day park, but by 1850 it was a favorite place for church picnics, military celebrations, and political speeches. In 1852 the City Council officially established a reserve around the Springs and then leased the area to John Jacob Duerler who built pavilions for use by visitors. In 1856 the United States Army was experimenting with the use of camels in south Texas and temporarily stabled the animals in San Pedro Springs Park. In 1860 Sam Houston spoke to a political rally at the Park. During the Civil War Confederate soldiers used the Park as a prisoner-of-war camp. All these intense uses damaged the Park and in 1863 the City Council prohibited military encampments and livestock. J. J. Duerler agreed to fence the Park, plant trees and shrubs, and clean the Springs. He created five fish ponds, planted a flower garden, and constructed a speakers' stand and exhibition building with a ballroom and bar. Duerler also rented boats, built a horse-race track on the site of today's baseball field, and opened a small zoo. In the 1880's and 1890's a mule-drawn cart ran from the Park to Alamo Plaza, and hot-air balloon rides, shooting matches, and the horse-race track were popular attractions. Duerler died in 1874 and his son-in-law was unable to maintain the
Park to
the City's satisfaction, so it was leased to Frederick Kerbel from 1883 to
1890. Kerbel greatly improved the Park, installing fencing, planting
trees, and maintaining the lake, ponds, and Springs. In 1885, Gustave
Jermy, a Hungarian naturalist, opened the Museum of Natural History, a
forerunner of today's Witte Museum.
The City assumed management of the Park in 1890 and conditions deteriorated until 1897 when Mayor Bryan Callaghan was elected for a second term and took a great interest in renovating the Park. The lake was cleaned and its stone walls repaired, Duerler's ponds were filled in and his pavilions demolished, and a new bandstand was constructed. Grass, tropical plants, caladium, and water lilies were added, and driveways, bridges, benches, pathways, planting beds, and a boat landing were built. The Park formally reopened on August 11, 1899, but by this time it was surrounded by San Antonio's rapidly growing residential neighborhoods. Another major renovation of the Park began in 1915 and extended into the 1920s. The zoo animals were moved to a new facility in Brackenridge Park, a swimming pool was built in the old lake bed, and tennis courts, a library, and community theater were constructed. The swimming pool was a naturalistic lake replenished by the Springs. Francisco Rodriguez, a Canary Island immigrant to Texas in the 1730's, is reported to have buried several chests of gold and silver coins near the Springs, perhaps in caves under the northern edge of the Park. He died before telling anyone the location, and they have never been found. (Brune, 1975). The same caves were reputed to have been used as hideouts for bandits in the mid 19th century.
One of the legends of San Pedro Springs, The Lure of Lolita, appeared in a 1911 newspaper article and involves the inhabitants of this old structure. The article says that about 60 years earlier, around 1851, a man named Vincent Boone sought shelter from a storm at the Block House. A very old, dark man who called himself Pedro Lara answered the door and, noticing that Boone carried a fat money bag, offered him food and the opportunity to stay the night in a hut nearby. He introduced Boone to Lolita, an extremely beautiful young girl that Lara said was his daughter. Boone was wary of Lara, and decided to spend the night with his gun on his chest and his clothes on. During the night, Boone heard noises in his hut, struck a match, and saw Lara approaching with a knife. The match went out, and Boone shot into the darkness. He lit another match, but Lara was nowhere to be seen. Then, Lolita ran up to the hut and revealed a trap door that led to a shallow cave where Lara lay dead. She begged Boone for mercy, saying she was not Lara's daughter but had been bought by him as a young child and had been used time and time again to lure travelers into staying in the hut so Lara could rob and kill them. She said the cave already contained the bodies of two people Lara had killed. Whether or not any of this is true no one can say. But in 1900 city workers were extending San Pedro Avenue past Dwyer Street and found a shallow cave with three skeletons. Another legend that persists to this day concerns a tunnel that once connected the Alamo and San Pedro Springs Park. The passageway was supposed to have been formed by a cave that ran much of the distance between the two sites, beginning in the Flag Room at the Alamo. Some say the opening at the San Pedro Park end was in the "bear pit", a small quarry that was a part of San Antonio's first zoo and that has been covered since 1897. Others say the tunnel emerged under the gazebo and was so large one could ride a horse through it. All geologists say it's highly unlikely such a tunnel ever existed because it would have had to go underneath the San Antonio River. Some other interesting features in the Park include a strange, moss-covered little conical building that was built as a Victorian summer home and became known as the "Grotto". Before the 1998 reconstruction, there was a large star-shaped rock patio that was said to have once had an interesting fountainhead at its center. A bandstand in the Park was moved from Alamo Plaza over 100 years ago. For many decades there was a very popular, picturesque path called Lovers Lane that began at the east end of the bridge that used to span the lake, and some of the large trees that lined the path are still there. It would be difficult to guess how many romantic interludes occurred here over the course of many decades! When Edwards Aquifer wells began to be drilled in the 1890s, flows from San Pedro Springs began a steady decline. Crawfish were abundant in the Springs and Creek until the early 1900s. The street Calle del Camaron was named for them in the 1830's. In 1891, an artesian well was drilled near the Park. When it struck water, the springflow immediately increased by 50% carrying with it shells, fossils, and yellow clay. Evidently the well opened an additional outlet from the Edwards limestone to the Springs (Brune, 1981). The Springs nearly went dry in 1940 because of drought and pumping. Crawfish and other aquatic life began having a difficult time surviving. Springflows became no longer sufficient to fill the natural swimming pool, and it was replaced by a rectangular, chlorinated pool in 1954 that was filled with well water. In the same year, the bandit caves where Rodriguez may have buried the gold were destroyed by construction of the McFarlin Tennis Center. Heavy pumping demands on the Edwards Aquifer mean the San Pedro Springs are almost always dry now. After record rain events in 1991 and 1992, the main Springs flowed profusely again and dozens of long-forgotten tiny springs bubbled up all over the Park. For several months, the Park was once again a magnet for swimmers and waders. In 1993 the City adopted a Park Master Plan that called for showcasing the Springs and restoring the original lake as a swimming pool. In 1996 disputes erupted between citizens groups and city staff over what to do with the McFarlin Tennis Center and several baseball stadiums that impede open-space views to the Park's interior. Many considered the Tennis Center an aesthetic eyesore - it's stadium riser seating and light towers loomed over and dominated the Springs. Another controversy involved placement of a fence around the restored lake. Almost everyone agreed a fence around a natural-looking lake would look stupid. In 1996 city legal staff decided no fence was needed and noted "...the city will incur the same type of liability that exists with Woodlawn Lake and lakes and ponds in other city parks." But at the last minute in 1998 the city attorney's office changed its mind, describing great liability exposure for the city if no fence was built. A design for a permanent stone pier and metal fence was presented, and neighborhood objections were loud and immediate. A compromise was reached - the fence was redesigned for easy removal and storage most of the year and will be in place only when city swimming programs take place during June and July. In July of 1998 work was finally set to begin on the makeover of the historic Park and Springs. Showcasing the Springs and restoring the pool were priorities to be completed in the first phase of the work. The first phase also included a new network of wide walkways, new lighting, removal of parking to the fringes of the Park, removal of old drainage channels to create more open green space, and reconfiguration of the McFarlin Tennis Center to reduce its visual impact. The graphic below shows the configuration of the Park prior to the 1998 reconstruction and the locations of the major Spring outlets. The pool has been completely replaced and the parking areas have been moved to the north of the Springs, but the locations of the Springs are still the same. Spring E is the largest. Springs A and B, in front of the bandstand, were sealed by the City Parks and Recreation Department many years ago to divert more flow to the other Springs. Locations of the various San Pedro Springs
As part of the restoration, designer and fabricator Jack
Robbins created this series of panels, each referencing a historical segment
of the history of San Pedro Springs Park. They are attached to the lightpost
bases around the Park. He also created the medallion at the top of this
page, using a projectile point actually found at the Springs. These
medallions are attached to the sidewalks in various places throughout the
Park and point the way to the Springs.
On Saturday May 20, 2000, the beautifully
restored San Pedro Springs Park reopened for public use. This was
the culmination of a b
The San Pedro Springs Postcard Collection A large variety of early 20th century postcards depicting San Pedro Springs and San Pedro Springs Park can be found in area antique stores. They attest to the popularity and importance of the Park. San Pedro Springs Park was always a public place and very important to the community. In contrast, I have never found a single postcard depicting San Antonio Springs. Those Springs were on private property, more isolated, and less frequented by travelers compared to the ones off San Pedro Avenue. All 10 of the postcards here were produced by different publishers, which suggests the Park was a popular and well-known landmark. I have not found any postcards produced after about 1920, which seems to indicate the Park and Springs were already in serious decline by then.
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ond issue that voters passed in 1994 to fund
renovations. To give the new pool the feeling of a natural lake, it
was finished in dark plaster and surrounded by a broad limestone walkway.
At the opening festivities descendants of the native inhabitants, the
Yanaguana Drummers, shared a tribal ceremony and a mesmerizing, riveting
drum performance. Then there were many long speeches about
everything the waters and Park have meant to people over the years.
It seemed ironic that at the last minute no one was allowed in the water.
It had been announced that when the ribbon was cut, swimmers would jump
in. But just before this was to occur it was announced this would
"send the wrong signal" because no lifeguard was on duty and the other
city parks did not officially open for swimming until May 27, a week
later. As a result, this young lady was the only person who got to
go in the water and fulfill the promise of the new park on its opening
day. While dignitaries made speeches on the other side of the pool,
she peeled off her socks, dangled her feet in the water, and then quietly
slid in and stood for a moment before her dad made her get out. Such
is the history of San Pedro Springs Park - it has been defined mainly in
terms of many small, significant moments for thousands of people, not by
any large, grand historical events.
