River management & hidden history

When we went to see the Battle of Flowers staging area a few weeks ago, naturally we had to park a good distance away. It was a pleasant walk to the floats and bands, though, that we didn't mind at all.

We even happened to pass a couple of interesting local landmarks. In fact, their backstories reinforce the basic Hometown Tourist lesson: always pay attention to the neighborhood you're moving through...there's almost always something new to see and learn about.

First item: a very attractive structure that performs a very vital function.

Of course we are very proud of our San Antonio River and love the way our city has embraced it and continues to make it an important part of community life. But it is a real river, and, to boot, a river in an environment which sometimes delivers half a year's worth of rainfall in a weekend.

So floods are a real threat. Especially to the many businesses that line the river downtown and make up our wonderful Riverwalk. Historically. there have been some doozies, especially the one in 1921. That disaster resulted in construction of the Olmos Dam, near my house (which I should really blog about someday).

But some years ago various agencies teamed up to construct a really amazing flood control tunnel, for even more protection. Part of the structure is the both functional and attractive fountain wall you see above, which form the inlet for the tunnel. On the right are the plaques that make it official. 

It really deserves these awards. It could have been a ugly eyesore, but instead is this nice little pocket park.

Of course, we weren't in a flood situation on Battle of Flowers weekend (it would have been hard to hold the parade if we were!). So the river was flowing naturally through the fountains and over the spillway, instead of into the tunnel.

The flood gauge (a common sight around here wherever a road crosses a stream bed) shows that the water level isn't a concern:

But it's nice to know that when we get one of those gully-washers, they'll open the tunnel to route the extra water around the fragile downtown Riverwalk. Where those waters emerge, down on the Mission Reach, there are other marvelous river improvements (that I've written about before; and I have an update for you that I'll try to get posted later this week). But there the features are designed to withstand floodwaters and would just need a little cleanup before they're ready for visitors again.

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We knew about the flood control tunnel before we saw it on this walk. But another tourist-worthy tidbit was more of a surprise.

It's the Menefee Tree, planted in 1930 by descendants of one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, which graces an otherwise indifferent little triangle of land surrounded on this day by parade-goers' parked cars. 

In addition to being an absolutely gorgeous live oak specimen, it provides a little window into Texas history. Isn't it amazing what you see when you keep your eyes open? (And your camera at the ready!)