Whether you call it Lady bird Lake or Town Lake, the Colorado River is a recreational site for people today. However, in the past the shores of the river shores were the home of industry. One might be hardly able to recognize the shores of the "River City" at the turn of the century.
On what is now known as the Town Lake hike and bike trail there exists a relic of one of the industries that resided there. That being the brick plant that resided there in the early 1900's. Bricks were made from clay that was mined on the south shore of the Colorado River. Those clay pits resided on land that is now part of what is known as Zilker Park.
Zilker park is named for Andrew Jackson Zilker, who owned much of the land around Zilker Park, including Barton Springs. It was Mr. Zilker who built the conveyor system and owned the land from which the clay was mined. Zilker sold some of his land around Barton Springs to the city in 1917 for $100,000. In 1932 Zilker donated an additional 300 acres that formed the nucleus of Zilker Park today.
That brickmaking plant that used the clay resided on the north shore of the Colorado River on a bluff overlooking present day Austin High School. Before Austin had multiple bridges to choose from getting to the opposite bank where the clay resided was a problem. The solution was to create a cable conveyor system over the river, which was done in 1902, if not before.
To support the cables, there were three (3) concrete and steel towers constructed. Buckets attached to the cables carried the clay across the river, but they sometimes carried other payload too. Workers, for example, found the buckets a convenient way for them to cross the river. The system was in operation through 1942 when World War II helped close the brick plant down. Wartime price controls were deemed to make it unprofitable to continue operations so the Butler Brick Company closed it down.
Only one of those towers remains today, east of MoPac near Austin High School. Located right next door to a rowing house, it includes an Austin Landmarks plaque providing a very brief history about the structure.
Side Note: If anyone has access to photos or drawings of the towers when they were in operation we here at 2TourAustin would love love to see them.
Sources(s):
Austin Explorer
Austin Active Kids
HMDB
Inscription:
This tower and two others supported a cable conveyor that brought clay from pits south of the Colorado river to a brick making facility nearby. A. J. Zilker installed the system in 1902. In 1912, the Butler Brick Company leased his plant, operating the tower system until 1942.
Erected:
?? by the City of Austin Landmark
Handicapped Accessibility:
Location:
1541 W Cesar Chavez St
Austin TX 78703
The marker is located on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, at the Texas Rowing Center, near Austin High School. The marker is visible from Lady Bird Lake trail.
What do you think about this attraction?
On what is now known as the Town Lake hike and bike trail there exists a relic of one of the industries that resided there. That being the brick plant that resided there in the early 1900's. Bricks were made from clay that was mined on the south shore of the Colorado River. Those clay pits resided on land that is now part of what is known as Zilker Park.
Zilker park is named for Andrew Jackson Zilker, who owned much of the land around Zilker Park, including Barton Springs. It was Mr. Zilker who built the conveyor system and owned the land from which the clay was mined. Zilker sold some of his land around Barton Springs to the city in 1917 for $100,000. In 1932 Zilker donated an additional 300 acres that formed the nucleus of Zilker Park today.
That brickmaking plant that used the clay resided on the north shore of the Colorado River on a bluff overlooking present day Austin High School. Before Austin had multiple bridges to choose from getting to the opposite bank where the clay resided was a problem. The solution was to create a cable conveyor system over the river, which was done in 1902, if not before.
To support the cables, there were three (3) concrete and steel towers constructed. Buckets attached to the cables carried the clay across the river, but they sometimes carried other payload too. Workers, for example, found the buckets a convenient way for them to cross the river. The system was in operation through 1942 when World War II helped close the brick plant down. Wartime price controls were deemed to make it unprofitable to continue operations so the Butler Brick Company closed it down.
Only one of those towers remains today, east of MoPac near Austin High School. Located right next door to a rowing house, it includes an Austin Landmarks plaque providing a very brief history about the structure.
Side Note: If anyone has access to photos or drawings of the towers when they were in operation we here at 2TourAustin would love love to see them.
Sources(s):
Austin Explorer
Austin Active Kids
HMDB
Inscription:
This tower and two others supported a cable conveyor that brought clay from pits south of the Colorado river to a brick making facility nearby. A. J. Zilker installed the system in 1902. In 1912, the Butler Brick Company leased his plant, operating the tower system until 1942.
Erected:
?? by the City of Austin Landmark
Handicapped Accessibility:
Location:
1541 W Cesar Chavez St
Austin TX 78703
The marker is located on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, at the Texas Rowing Center, near Austin High School. The marker is visible from Lady Bird Lake trail.
What do you think about this attraction?
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