Green Lake (Texas)

Green Lake formed initially as a northern inlet of San Antonio Bay. As the Guadalupe River shifted westward about 2,500 years ago, it deposited silt, developing a delta that prograded into San Antonio Bay. Around 2,200 years ago the delta discharge extended completely across the bay, severing the northern extension from the system, which formed present-day Green Lake. Pottery and burial grounds found in the area suggest a presence of Karankawa Indians at the time of formation. Middens uncovered north of the lake contained shells from the brackish water-species of rangia clams (Rangia cuneata).[7]

Wealthy cotton farmers from Kentucky established plantations and settled the fertile lands near the lake during the 1850s, establishing the town of Green Lake, Texas. First-hand accounts described it as "the locality of a neighborhood characterized by [the] wealth and social standing of the residents."[8]

1917 drawing from the Welder case, showing the property owners around Green Lake

After the American Civil War, returning residents found that their slaves, livestock and farm equipment had been taken. Most residents relocated. However, in the early 20th century, farmers returned and the town of Green Lake modestly grew to an approximate population of 300 in 1914.[8] At the time, much of the land in the vicinity was used for livestock grazing. The only profitable commercial uses for the lake itself included transportation of lumber and fishing. Approximately US$100,000 worth of fish were caught in the lake from 1900 to 1915.[9] Nevertheless, the lake bed remained dry for extended periods and vegetation covered certain areas. Local residents soon began to use the bed to grow cotton.[10]

In 1917, Texas filed a trespass to try title suit to reclaim the lake bed for the state. In Welder v. State, the Texas Court of Civil Appeals in Austin declared the lake permanent and navigable-in-fact, granting the bed to the state under the purview of the Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission (later Texas Parks and Wildlife Department).[11] Without permission from the Texas Attorney General, the Texas Land Commissioner then sold the bed to a private buyer for agricultural use in 1918. In the 1948 case of State v. Bryan, the Texas Court of Civil Appeals in Austin upheld the sale as valid under color of law, and immune from a trespass to try title suit due to the one-year statute of limitations on land sales.[12] However, under the Texas Water Rights Adjudication Act of 1967, Green Lake was classified as a public body of water. The Supreme Court of Texas affirmed this classification in 1988, rejecting the argument of the bed's then-owner that it was not a lake by definition, but a natural depression flooded with surface runoff.[13]

During the Great Depression, the population of the Green Lake settlement dwindled to 25. It remained low until the discovery of oil in 1947. Twenty wells were constructed at the Green Lake oilfield, although as of 1984, only one still operated. By 2000, the population of Green Lake was 51, the same number reported in 1970 and 1990.[8]

The lake played a role in the evacuation of federal troops from Texas at the onset of the American Civil War. As Texas considered whether to secede from the United States, General David E. Twiggs, commander of federal troops in Texas negotiated with state leaders concerning the transfer of federal property. After learning of such negotiations, the United States military moved to decommission Twiggs, and replace him with Colonel Carlos Waite. Texas viewed this move as a rejection of the negotiations and proceeded to forcefully claim the federal property. Twiggs, while awaiting relief from Waite, surrendered the property on the condition that federal troops could peacefully evacuate. They were allowed to depart, but only from the Texas coast. Waite arrived and relocated troops near Green Lake, where they could await coastal departure near an adequate source of freshwater. During the stay, Fort Sumter fell under siege, and Texas grew concerned about the concentration of armed federal troops in the area. With their respective nations now at war, Texas considered the deal with Twiggs void, and began to capture federal troops to force them to either join the Confederacy or be Prisoners of War. Some of the remaining uncaptured companies elsewhere in the state attempted to flee to Green Lake.[14] Several regiments camped by the lake later in the war, and complained about mosquitos.[15]