Highland Lakes History Guide

Texas History, Deep in the Heart

The history of the Highland Lakes has been shaped by its geography and people, including leaders who rose to power, some as high as the presidency, and whose names have been memorialized on its infrastructure. This Highland Lakes History Guide collects in one place all of the stories that have been published in The Picayune Magazine and on DailyTrib.com and 101HighlandLakes.com.
The political machinations behind the building and naming of the Lower Colorado River Authority dams and a library in Burnet are revealed in the regular feature “What’s in a Name?” — with many more tales to come.
Residents recall growing up in the area, looking back at how the communities have changed, grown, and evolved in another regular feature, “Remember When.” Stories printed so far include:

• the daughter of Sheriff Wallace Riddell, who reminisced about growing in the Burnet County jail
• two sisters who tell of growing up on Broadway in Marble Falls when it was a gravel road
• a Burnet County commissioner who remembers when his father owned the city’s first phone company

For all “Remember When” stories from The Picayune Magazine, click here.
Other stories include tales of:

• a granite outcropping that built the state Capitol with prison labor
  a sister granite batholith in the next county that lived a different history to become a state natural area
• Marble Falls Mayor Birdie Harwood, who was not only the first female mayor in the state of Texas but was elected to office before women were allowed to vote
• Fort Croghan, a frontier outpost that made settling in the area possible

The stories on these pages reflect the grit, the gumption, and the visions that built the communities in Burnet, Llano, and Blanco counties. Let us know what you want us to explore in Highland Lakes history next by emailing suzanne@thepicayune.com.