San Pedro Springs

Infobox Spring
spring_name=San Pedro Springs


caption=Location of San Pedro Springs
type=Karst springs
location=San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A
source=Edwards Aquifer
provides=San Pedro Creek,
San Antonio River
elevation=660 ft (201 m) above sea level

San Pedro Springs is the name of a cluster of springs in Bexar County, Texas, U.S.A. These springs provide water for San Pedro Creek, which flows into the San Antonio River.

Geography

The San Pedro Springs are located about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north of downtown San Antonio. Most of the springs are within San Pedro Park, the oldest park in Texas. The springs are fed by water from the Edwards Aquifer; this water reaches the surface through faults along the Balcones Escarpment. There are 13 primary springs, but they seldom flow due to pumping demands on the Edwards Aquifer.

History

Artifacts from Paleo-Indian cultures have been found at the site of the San Pedro Springs, as well as just downstream at the former site of a small natural lake. These artifacts indicate that the springs were used more than 12,000 years ago. Later, a band of Coahuiltecan Indians, the Payaya, lived near the springs and called their village "Yanaguana" ("place of refreshing waters").

The springs were named by Father Isidro Félix de Espinosa, a Spanish missionary, in 1709; but some scholars believe Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca may have camped at the springs in 1535. That would make the springs one of the oldest historical sites in North America. In 1718, another Spanish missionary, Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, built a mission nearby that he named San Antonio de Valero. This was the first permanent European settlement in San Antonio.

In the 1730s, an acequia was built to carry water from the springs toward the city for irrigation and household use. By the 1870s, the springs provided water for boating, fishing and swimming. A municipal swimming pool was built in the park in 1922; it was replaced in 1954 and again in 2000.

External links

* [http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/spspring.html Information on San Pedro Springs from EdwardsAquifer.net]
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