Buffalo Spring Lake

Buffalo Springs Lake, located on Farm Road 835 nine miles southeast of Lubbock in Lubbock County (at 33°32' N, 101°42' W), provides a major recreation area for West Texas. The lake comprises 200 surface acres and has a storage capacity of 3,950 acre-feet. Buffalo hunters first used Buffalo Springs in 1874, when they skirmished with Comanche Indians there. The Causey brothers built a half dugout at Buffalo Springs in 1877, and a year later ranchers moved into the area. Picnics and outings were very popular with the early settlers. The springs were then on land owned by the S. I. Johnston ranch. To develop the site as a recreational spot, Sheriff Bud Johnston and his brother Jim initiated simple improvements. In the late 1920s, after the estate was sold, pioneer J. A. (Andy) Wilson formed the Buffalo Lakes Association and put a small dam across the canyon. Memberships were sold, and boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, camping, and picnicking were available. Some members of the association built cabins around the lake. In December 1957 Lubbock County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 bought 1,612 acres around Buffalo Lake to provide a community recreation center. The surface level of the lake was elevated repeatedly, most recently in 1960; the site of the main springs has been inundated, though the springs still flow. They have, in fact, benefitted by recharge of their aquifer with water from Lake Meredith, by way of Lubbock lawns and gardens.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.