For many years this low-water crossing served as the primary access to the LBJ Ranch; for non-Texans, it served as a dramatic entry into Lyndon Johnson's world.
Constructed in 1951, the dam and crossing were the first improvements Lyndon Johnson made to the ranch after purchasing the property. He knew that water was the key to running a successful ranching operation in the Hill Country, though there was often not enough and sometimes, all at once, too much. To remedy this, Johnson hired Marcus Burg, a Stonewall contractor, to stretch a nine-foot-high wall of concrete across the Pedernales River.
The resulting lake supplied water to irrigate pastures for Johnson's Hereford cattle while also containing some of the water in times of flood. An added benefit was the creation of a swimming hole for the family.
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