Barton Creek is a 40-plus-mile waterway that runs through Texas' Hill Country to southwest Austin. The creek has long been a popular recreation destination for Austin area residents and a source of contention between environmentalists and developers.
Spanish explorers traveling through Texas in the 17th and 18th centuries were the first Europeans to visit Barton Creek. Centuries before, Native American groups like the Comanche, Jumano and Tonkawa camped at the creek.
According to Chandra Moira Beal, author of "Splash Across Texas: The Definitive Guide To Swimming In Central Texas," Franciscan friars established a mission near Barton Creek in 1730. A century later, a frontiersman named William Barton built a home at what was then known as Spring Creek. Later it was renamed in Barton's honor.
By the late 19th century, the Austin segment of the creek (known as Barton Springs) was a popular destination. A local newspaper began calling Barton Springs "Austin's Eden" during the 1880s. A swimming hole on the creek was converted into a more sophisticated swimming pool during the 1930s.
Rapid growth in the Austin area during the 1970s and 1980s raised public concern for the Barton Creek aquifer. In September 1979 a nonprofit citizens' group called Save Barton Creek Association was formally incorporated to advocate for the creek's preservation.
As a result of the outcry, several measures passed to limit development along the creek, including the Barton Creek Watershed Ordinance of 1980, the Comprehensive Watersheds Ordinance of 1986 and the Save Our Springs Citizens Initiative of 1992.
