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Texas
Related: About this forumLake Mineral Wells St. Pk - pics & info.
Stimulate your sense of adventure while climbing and rappelling towering cliffs, traversing the stone steps of Penitentiary Hollows or hiking the 20-mile trailway.
Stimulate your sense of adventure while climbing and rappelling towering cliffs, traversing the stone steps of Penitentiary Hollows or hiking the 20-mile trailway.
Things to Do
Activities include camping, lake swimming (unsupervised), fishing, boating (no skiing/tubing or jet skis permitted), rock climbing (climbers and rappellers must check in at headquarters), mountain biking, equestrian camping, horseback riding (visitors must provide their own horses) and hiking. Note: Trails may be closed during wet weather. Climbing is prohibited when the rock formations are wet. (Call the park to verify climbing area is open, if it has rained within 48 hours of your planned arrival.)
More information on the Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway.
Detailed fishing and lake information for Lake Mineral Wells
Lake Mineral Wells State Park Fishing Tip Sheet
Ranger Programs
The new Lone Star Amphitheater provides a great venue for a variety of natural and cultural interpretive programs, which include cowboy history through music and poetry, astronomy programs, storytelling, ranger talks and other programs. The park also offers programs like Kids Wilderness Survival, guided tail walks, wildflower walks and other nature programs. We provide talks and activities to school, scout, church and youth groups. Arrangements can be made by contacting David Owens, park interpreter.
History
Lake Mineral Wells State Park, located east of Mineral Wells in Parker County, consists of 3,282.5 acres, encompassing Lake Mineral Wells. The City of Mineral Wells donated 1,095 land acres and the 646-acre lake to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1975. The U.S. government transferred some of the remaining acreage from Fort Wolters Army Post to the State of Texas for use as parkland. The park was opened in July 1981.
Lake Mineral Wells State Park is located along Rock Creek, a large tributary of the Brazos River. This area was an early home to several Native American, tribes including the Comanche.
White settlers began arriving in the early 1850s, and intermittent warfare occurred until the late 1870s. Rugged terrain and lush native grasses attracted many early-day ranchers to this area, including Charles Goodnight, Oliver Loving and C. C. Slaughter, who ran large herds of Longhorn cattle. Ranching continues to be an economic mainstay of this area.
In 1877, James Alvis Lynch settled this area on the spot of land that is now Mineral Wells. In 1880, a well was drilled on the land. Mrs. Lynch suffered from rheumatism, but after drinking the water from the well, she was not bothered with rheumatism anymore. The well water seemed to have "curative powers." This began Mineral Wells' tumultuous affair with water, and it quickly became a world-renowned health resort. The purported curative effects of the local well water brought people from all walks of life to bath and take "the cure."
The City of Mineral Wells became too large for Lake Pinto, the town water supply, so in the late 1910s plans were laid for another lake east of town. In 1922 Lake Mineral Wells was completed.
World War II demanded an increase in activities at Fort Wolters, a military base located adjacent to the lake. This, coupled with the growth of the City of Mineral Wells, required the city to raise the height of the dam, thereby increasing the water supply in the lake.
In 1963, the City of Mineral Wells found a better water supply and ceased using Lake Mineral Wells as the main city water supply.
In 1975, after the closure of Fort Wolters, the City of Mineral Wells and Fort Wolters donated the lake and acreage around the lake to Texas Parks and Wildlife. On July 1, 1981 Lake Mineral Wells was opened as Lake Mineral Wells State Park.
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