Part of a Matching Set
Lake Buchanan, the first lake among the Highland Lakes Chain of Lakes, serves as a pinnacle for lake living. Weighing in at a whopping 22000 acres of water surface and 125 miles of shoreline, Lake Buchanan draws visitors from far and wide.
Essentials
Emergency medical care is available at Ascension Seton Highland Lakes hospital, only 20 minutes away. Although you can find a few smaller airports nearby, the closest major airport is the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, about 1.5 hours away.
Life on Lake Buchanan
The possibilities on Lake Buchanan are prodigious. The 35-stretch, with two public boat ramps, is ideal for boating, fishing, jet skiing, skiing, and tubing!
To the delight of anglers, Lake Buchanan teems with largemouth bass, white bass, striped bass, catfish, sunfish, and crappie.
The area boasts a rich bird biodiversity. Visitors frequently see osprey, flycatchers, American white pelicans, indigo bunting, painted bunting, great blue herons, crested caracara, and even great horned owls. Near Lake Buchanan lies the Canyon of the Eagles nature park. American bald eagles migrate here in the winter and are quite a sight to see!
Hamilton and Buchanan
In 1931, construction on the George W. Hamilton Dam began. Daniel Insull, a mover and shaker in south-central Texas, owned a utility company that managed the dam’s construction. Insull’s dam would have provided electricity, especially to rural communities. Such was the ambition until Insull felt the pressure of the Great Depression.
The collapse of Insull’s company stagnated the dam’s construction progress. Despite this, Insull paved the way for the Texas legislature to authorize the formation of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which would take over the project. When the LCRA took command in 1934, the dam was only half finished. Insull, however, was not the only one affected by the Hamilton Dam.
Sitting in the river valley was the settlement of Bluffton. Since the dammed water would submerge the town, Bluffton was forced to relocate. Starting in 1931, many began the arduous process of translocating their homes a few miles west. Unfortunately, not all of these were capable of relocation, like the thriving pecan tree orchard and several successful ranches.
James P. Buchanan (Not to be confused with President James Buchanan), a U.S. Representative from the State of Texas, assisted the LCRA in obtaining funds for the project. Finally completed in 1937, the dam’s name changed to something more familiar. Today, the dam and lake both bear Buchanan’s name, and the first dam in the Highland Lakes Chain of Lakes was complete.
On The Water
Although the remnants of Bluffton are now submerged, the spirit of their city lives on in today’s residents of Lake Buchanan.