So I almost didn't take these pictures when I went on a walk in that direction this morning. However, a search of my archives only turned up these two posts, where I talked about planning to blog about the dam. In fact, it looks like I'd planned for it to be one of my first subjects.
Oh, well, what's 6 years among friends?
The dam in question is on Olmos Creek, a tributary that joins the San Antonio River soon after leaving it. Olmos Dam was constructed in 1925, in response to a devastating flood the came from this watershed and damaged a good bit of downtown San Antonio in 1921.
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| west end of the dam |
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| dam outflow |
However, the dam hasn't always looked as it does today. When I first moved to San Antonio in 1977, there was a road across the top and instead of the sloping leeward side it was straight up and down, with rather attractive, graceful arches along its length. You can see several pictures of the old dam, and construction of the new one in this collection from the Express-News.
Some of the photos in this collection also document the construction of the 218 McAllister Freeway, which happened a few years before the dam refurbishment. The freeway passes over the west end of the dam, and affords a pretty nice view of it, if you can spare a glance as you drive over. Looking under the freeway, while walking, is probably a little safer, though...
Here's the plaque that commemorates the two incarnations of the dam and the officials responsible for its construction and upgrade: (click to see a larger image)
A walk along the lee side of the dam, where there are ample sidewalks, affords some nice views of the area. Here's a shot from the east side of the dam, looking north towards the former TMI water tower in the distance:
That photo was taken close to where I took the one at the top of the post, which looks southwest. Here's a repeat of it, with lines pointing out some landmarks. Left to right are: Tower of the Americas (all the way downtown!), apartment tower at Devine Road and Hildebrand, the 281 freeway, Trinity University's bell tower, and the Olmos Park water towers. (Sorry the picture, even when enlarged, isn't any clearer; I didn't have my camera on my walk and had to use my phone.)
The dam and the land surrounding it are in the city of San Antonio, making a little ribbon of buffer between Alamo Heights on the east and my bedroom burg of Olmos Park on the west...
Functionally successful (no downtown floods since it was built), attractive, and a great place for a walking or biking workout...the dam is a nice amenity to have so close at hand.
2 comments:
Oh, that is indeed impressive. I bet it is a lot of fun to ride down.
A little scary, actually! The sidewalk isn't very wide and you can get to going pretty fast! I'm 'way too chicken to ride in the street there.
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