Texas Almanac, 1961-1962 Page: 50
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50TEA ALA C-9116
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-Texas Highway Department Photograph.
Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 feet, highest in Texas. El Capitan, 8,078 feet, in upper center.ter that falls on the surface of this country
and releases it to the numerous streams
where they cut their way downward by ero-
sion. Along the line of the Balcones Escarp-
ment at the edge of the plateau are a num-
her of large springs, notably, Barton Springs
at Austin. San Marcos Spring at San Marcos,
Comal Spring at New Braunfels, several
springs at San Antonio. and a number of
springs in the interior of the plateau.
The Burnet-Llano Basin
An extension of the Hill Country that is of
especial interest Is the Burnet-Llano Basin
which lies at the junction of the Colorado and
Llano livers in Burnet and Llano Counties.
In earlier years this area was known as the
"Central Mineral Region," because of the
evidence there of a large number of min-
erals. In the years before the discovery of oil
throughout Texas, it was thought that Texas'
hopes to become a mineral producing state
would be realized in this area. However,
though small quantities of many metallic
and nonmetallic minerals are found in this
area there has never been large commercial
production of any thing except granite.
Smaller quantities of graphite have been pro-
duced.
On the Colorado River in this area is a
succession of dams impounding two large
and four smaller reservoirs. Uppermost is
Lake Buchanan, one of the two large reser-
voirs, lying between Burnet and Llano Coun-
ties. Below It in the western part of Travis
County is Lake Travis. Between these two
large reservoirs are three smaller ones,
Inks, Granite Shoals and Marble Falls res-
ervoirs, used primarily for maintaining
heads to produce electric power from the
overflow from Lake Buchanan. Below Lake
Travis Is Lake Austin lying just above theCity of Austin. Still another small lake was
formed by the construction, during 1960, of a
low-water dam in the city of Austin.
This area including the entire Burnet-Llano
Basin and the series of reservoirs on the
Colorado is called the Highland Lakes Coun-
try by interests that are promoting its rec-
reational assets. Geologically this is the most
interesting area in Texas, some of the
world's oldest rocks being found at the sur-
face.
IV. TRANS-PECOS TEXAS
The triangular "panhandle" of Texas lying
west of the Pecos River, bounded on the
north by New Mexico and on the south by
the Republic of Mexico, is distinctive in its
physical and economic conditions. Here are
found all of the true mountains of Texas, the
region being traversed from north to south
by an eastern range of the Rockies.
Pecos Valley-Stockton Plateau
The eastern third of the Trans-Pecos is a
rolling to rough country lying in the valley of
the Pecos River and on the Stockton Plateau
at the eastern base of the Davis Mountains.
With only 10 to 12 inches of rainfall annually
this was exclusively a ranching country until
recent years when the discovery of great
quantities of ground water encouraged ir-
rigated crop growing-largely cotton. The
Pecos Valley rapidly became one of the prin-
cipal cotton-growing areas of Texas. In the
western part of this area, on the higher
Stockton Plateau, ranching is still the domi-
nant industry.
Highest of the Trans-Pecos Mountains is
the Guadalupe Range which enters the state
from New Mexico. It comes to an abrupt end
about 20 miles south of the boundary line
where are situated Guadalupe Peak, (8,751TEXAS ALMANAC-1961-1962
50
I
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Texas Almanac, 1961-1962, book, 1961; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117140/m1/52/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.