John Rich Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Good day, HAIFers!I've been doing some hiking in the Addicks Reservoir in west Houston, which is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. It's called "Addicks" because that's the name of a former town there, settled by German immigrants, whose homes were scattered around the area. After repeated flooding showed the area to be unsuitable, they moved on elsewhere. This is the patch of woods bordered by the Katy Freeway on the south, Highway 6 on the west, Patterson Road on the north, and Eldridge Parkway on the east. It's about 9 square miles of undeveloped land, used as a flood plain.Many of you may drive right by this primitive tract every day, and never think about what might be contained deep inside, or the history of that area.Here is a slideshow presentation with photos from my hikes, containing 77 images:http://picasaweb.google.com/JohnRich3rd/LanghamCreekJust click on that web link, and then click "slideshow" to view the photos.You will want to immediately click the plus-sign at the bottom of the screen to increase the number of seconds of viewing time per photo, or they'll whiz right past you before you're done looking. Then use the arrow keys to scroll through the photos, as you're ready.This presentation will cover the two "crop circles" located there, which were talked about extensively in another thread, as well as the ruins of three old homesteads that were formerly located there. At least one of those dates from the 1920's.If you have any comments to make in identifying some of the odd home site structures found there, please chime in - I'm curious to figure out what those are. This would include the tall spindly-legged platform, and "the box". After viewing this, the next time you drive past that piece of woods, you'll glance over and think about what you've seen in this slideshow, and what life must have been like for those families back then. But the history doesn't stop there with the early Anglo settlers. This area was also occupied by Indians going back 2,000 years, and archaeologists have unearthed their burials and artifacts in this area. Enjoy! - John Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 We had a recent thread on this. I went out there last week to the old road south of Patterson. It has some new growth trees that are probably a few years old that have grown in the old road. There's also an old signpost. No idea what it used to say. Anyway, at each of the entrances to the reservoir (of which there are many scattered on Clay, Eldridge, etc) there are two signs. One says no motorized vehicles, and the other says no firearms. I take this as an implied authorization to go into these areas without a car or gun.It was pretty neat back there. I may return for a low impact camping trip. I carry my bivy (a style of one-man tent) and my sleeping bag on my bike and can set up and break down pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Isn't it kind of far inland for a clam that size?I think the concrete platform was for some kind of machinery. Maybe a generator or something that would need to stay dry if it flooded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 "The box" looks like an old barbecue pit to me. You see similar styles even in modern campgrounds, and the blackened interior seals it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 I went out there last week to the old road south of Patterson... It was pretty neat back there. I may return for a low impact camping trip. I carry my bivy (a style of one-man tent) and my sleeping bag on my bike and can set up and break down pretty quickly.There are some excellent camp sites along Langham Creek, with higher ground, clear of debris and overgrowth. I'm surprised you're able to bicycle through there, as thick as the woods are.Isn't it kind of far inland for a clam that size?Indeed it is. That's just one of the mysteries that I've found in the woods. What's that big clam doing out there? I've also found coconuts on the ground back in there, and we're a long way from the south pacific. You can always just say that they washed into there during a flood. But from where? There is no ocean or coconut trees on higher ground to the north.I think the concrete platform was for some kind of machinery. Maybe a generator or something that would need to stay dry if it flooded.But the house itself wasn't built up that high, and surely they would protect it first. Unless that platform was built much later, taking into account the new dam and flood levels. Or maybe it just needed elevation for a water tank to provide the kind of water pressure from gravity to serve the home. Curious stuff."The box" looks like an old barbecue pit to me. You see similar styles even in modern campgrounds, and the blackened interior seals it for me.Could be. It's similar to the types that have two chambers, where wood is burned in one chamber to produce heat, which is vented to the adjacent chamber where the meat is cooked. If so, someone sure went to a lot of trouble to make a fancy BBQ pit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 But the house itself wasn't built up that high, and surely they would protect it first. Unless that platform was built much later, taking into account the new dam and flood levels. Or maybe it just needed elevation for a water tank to provide the kind of water pressure from gravity to serve the home. Curious stuff.Was this the same house with the 1925 markings? The area wasn't commissioned as a reservoir until 1938 if Google steered me right, so perhaps that's why the house is lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Indeed it is. That's just one of the mysteries that I've found in the woods. What's that big clam doing out there? I've also found coconuts on the ground back in there, and we're a long way from the south pacific. You can always just say that they washed into there during a flood. But from where? There is no ocean or coconut trees on higher ground to the north.The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?Clams don't have quite the same locomotion, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Clams don't have quite the same locomotion, though.They could be carried. Perhaps by an African swallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 They could be carried. Perhaps by an African swallow.And what would be the airspeed of that laden swallow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Was this the same house with the 1925 markings? The area wasn't commissioned as a reservoir until 1938 if Google steered me right, so perhaps that's why the house is lower.Yes, the 1925 house. So it was indeed there before the dam. The residents were probably kicked out under eminent domain law when the Feds took over the land for the reservoir. The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?Huh? Another thought, not involving swallows or poetry: There is a fishing pond in the area, and perhaps a fisherman brought some big clams with him to use as catfish bait. But this one was intact, not broken open. Could it have escaped from the bait bucket and snuck away?The giant apple snails are actually interesting creatures. They live underwater to hide from predators like birds and raccoons, and breathe through a tube like a snorkle. When a water hole is drying up, they burrow down in the mud and go into a hibernation mode, to awaken the next time rainfall fills their pond. To lay their eggs they crawl up a tree trunk and deposit them in pink clusters above the water line. There are thousands of these empty shells out there. I have yet to see a live one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmather0 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Very nice photos - thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Maybe clam shell were brought in as gravel and this one was thrown to the side because it was still in tact. You know, like a kid finding a pet. Is there any evidence of broken up shells anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?He quoth as I am in the process of ripping that DVD to AppleTV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 He quoth as I am in the process of ripping that DVD to AppleTV.There was a time when anyone reading an online forum would have instantly recognized that quote. Sigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortbendtomontrose Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Excellent write-up and photos! The historic aerials and the discovery of the homesteads are helping to explain this mystery. I think the author's interpretation could be spot on. Also, love the Monty Python references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 For those of you who are contemplating hiking to these old homestead sites, here's some info for you.Reference the slideshow mentioned earlier in message #1 to see the landmarks to which I'll refer.Site #1: This is the site a few hundred yards northwest of the "crop circle" stock ponds. Since it's easy to find without technical gizmos, I didn't bother capturing GPS coordinates. Directions: hike Lamb Road west about one mile, until you see the concrete cattle-guard bridge - it's a "can't miss it" landmark. Turn right, cross the bridge, and head north on the trace of the old road bed, now overgrown with trees. It's slightly raised, with drainage depressions along both sides, but is faint. Follow that north about a half mile until you see the big gnarly tree - it's very distinctive compared to the other trees in the area. The home site is behind that tree.The other two would be very difficult to find just by dead reckoning, as they are well hidden inside thick woods, with no landmarks to follow. So I'll give the GPS coordinates for them which I captured. Site #2: This is the first site to the south of Lamb Rd. You'll have to cross a barbed wire fence or two. You may need to belly-crawl under them, squirming on your back, holding up the wire with your walking stick. UTM coordinates: 0246314E, 3299626N, datum NAD83. Site #3: This is the site furthest south. It's easiest to get to when approached from the south, from the power line cut. And if you start from the south to get to this site, then Site #2 is only another quarter-mile due north from there. So this is a good way to take-in both of these sites. UTM coordinates: 0246337E, 3299210N, datum NAD83.Be sure to also look around the general area for a 100-yard diameter or so from the GPS location, because there are also outlying building ruins away from the central location.Please respect these sites and don't vandalize them. In fact, take a plastic bag with you and carry some trash back out.I thought it might be fun to leave a geocache in an old ammo can at these sites, for people to search out and discover, and to encourage people to enjoy and appreciate the area. But I'm not sure that would last, because the box would float away with each flood. And if you tied it down, it might end up underwater and get water intrusion into the box, spoiling the contents. Site #1, the furthest north, might be high and dry all the time. But the other two are far enough south towards the dam that I think it would go under water when the reservoir fills up, which seems to happen once or twice per year. - John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 John, do you know of any explicit authorization to enter these areas? I know they're not really patrolled, and even if they wanted to its not drivable through the forest, and the fact that the signs say "No Motorized Vehicles" and "No Firearms" are encouraging, but is there something more significant?Secondly, what do you think the chances are of finding some more home sites in that massive area? It feels like exploring old jungles for Mayan ruins or something, very exciting.Also, I followed Lamb Road for a while, through where the new growth trees are, but shortly after that part it opens up into a clearing of sorts. I wasn't able to see where the road continued on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 John, do you know of any explicit authorization to enter these areas? I know they're not really patrolled, and even if they wanted to its not drivable through the forest, and the fact that the signs say "No Motorized Vehicles" and "No Firearms" are encouraging, but is there something more significant?Yes, right here, at the Corps of Engineers web site: http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Addicks/Secondly, what do you think the chances are of finding some more home sites in that massive area? It feels like exploring old jungles for Mayan ruins or something, very exciting.That's a good description for the feel of finding those lost home sites. From the old aerial photos, I'm not sure there are any more in that particular patch. I'm also considering going searching for some in the Barker reservoir, which is the one in the southwest quadrant of I-10 and Hwy 6. Those 1957 aerial photos are great for locating old home sites. And if you can get your hands on some old government topo maps, those will show things as they used to exist also. I'd also like to find some photos of the old town of Addicks, but those seem hard to come by. So much research to do, so little time to do it...Also, I followed Lamb Road for a while, through where the new growth trees are, but shortly after that part it opens up into a clearing of sorts. I wasn't able to see where the road continued on.Yes, it seems to dead end there where it starts to get clear, just beyond where that concrete cattle-guard bridge lies. You are also very close to Langham Creek at that point. If you continue west, you get to a pretty area along the creek, with turtles sunning themselves on logs. It's a great lunch spot.There is one snippet of an old topo map from the previous "Addicks Crop Circles" thread, which seems to show Lamb Road extending across Langham Creek and going over to Hwy 6. But I can find no trace of any old bridge along there. If there was one, it must have been wood, and has since washed away. There are plenty of logs which have fallen across the creek, that you can use to tightrope walk across to the other side, if you dare. There's one particular big log that is low over the water, very large, perfectly horizontal, and somewhat flat on top, and is the best crossing point. I even sawed off a limb that was an obstacle about a third of the way across. But that log is about a half-mile south of where Lamb Rd. ends. That's the log featured in a few of the slideshow photos. - John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Looking at 1957, there are a bunch of strange squiggly lines east of Eldridge. Any idea what this was? There's also some roads that appear to have been dramatically overgrown like Lamb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 John, Almost due east of home site 2 along the 1957 road that was there, about halfway back to Eldridge there appears to be another structure. Any idea what that was? Looks like it has a crop field next to it as well. Modern day shows a dead-ish cleared area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Looking at 1957, there are a bunch of strange squiggly lines east of Eldridge. Any idea what this was?You mean like these?:http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/Joh...uigglyLines.jpgThose are probably terraced rice fields, which require precise water levels for proper growth. The squiggly lines are where the farmer built up dikes, following the terrain contours of the land, to hold water. You can still see this kind of landscaping in today's rice fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rich Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Almost due east of home site 2 along the 1957 road that was there, about halfway back to Eldridge there appears to be another structure. Any idea what that was? Looks like it has a crop field next to it as well. Modern day shows a dead-ish cleared area.I haven't hiked through that area yet. That definitely looks like a place that has been worked by a farmer/rancher. Can't tell if there's a home site though. Appears to be a pond on the right, and a big crop field or fenced pasture left of the pond. Maybe some rows of hay bales above the pond? Ranchers fence those off to keep the cattle from walking through 'em, knocking 'em apart, and destroying them, preserving them for when the farmer actually wants to put them in the pasture with the cattle. It's interesting to zoom in on that area, and then increment the aerial photos over time, watching the changes over 5 decades.The 1981 aerial seems to show a circular object in the middle of the field. But maybe it's just a cluster of trees.http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/JohnRich/Circular.jpgIt disappears under the tree canopy in the 2002 photo. The next time I get out there, that's something to check out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 This makes me want to break out a metal detector and discover what mysteries lie just beneath the overgrowth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt. kirk Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 We had a recent thread on this. I went out there last week to the old road south of Patterson. It has some new growth trees that are probably a few years old that have grown in the old road. There's also an old signpost. No idea what it used to say. Anyway, at each of the entrances to the reservoir (of which there are many scattered on Clay, Eldridge, etc) there are two signs. One says no motorized vehicles, and the other says no firearms. I take this as an implied authorization to go into these areas without a car or gun.It was pretty neat back there. I may return for a low impact camping trip. I carry my bivy (a style of one-man tent) and my sleeping bag on my bike and can set up and break down pretty quickly.IF YOU GO SOUTH ON HWY 6, UNDER I-10 YOU WILL SEE AN ENTRANCE TO YOUR RIGHT FOR VIEWING PURPOSES.............FROM THE TOP OF THE LEVEE.............WHERE ALL THE WATER IS, IS THE RESERVOIR..........THE AREA YOU WERE AT IS THE OVERFLOW, SOMETIMES ACROSS HWY 6. AND MOST PEOPLE DONT KNOW THAT ADDICKS RESERVOIR IS THE ORIGINATING POINT FOR BUFFALO BAYOU THAT GOES TO HOUSTON. WHEN I LIVED IN KATY I DID SOME RESEARCH AND HOUSTON HAS LOTS OF HISTORYWe had a recent thread on this. I went out there last week to the old road south of Patterson. It has some new growth trees that are probably a few years old that have grown in the old road. There's also an old signpost. No idea what it used to say. Anyway, at each of the entrances to the reservoir (of which there are many scattered on Clay, Eldridge, etc) there are two signs. One says no motorized vehicles, and the other says no firearms. I take this as an implied authorization to go into these areas without a car or gun.It was pretty neat back there. I may return for a low impact camping trip. I carry my bivy (a style of one-man tent) and my sleeping bag on my bike and can set up and break down pretty quickly.IF YOU GO SOUTH ON HWY 6, UNDER I-10 YOU WILL SEE AN ENTRANCE TO YOUR RIGHT FOR VIEWING PURPOSES.............FROM THE TOP OF THE LEVEE.............WHERE ALL THE WATER IS, IS THE RESERVOIR..........THE AREA YOU WERE AT IS THE OVERFLOW, SOMETIMES ACROSS HWY 6. IT HAS THE ZOO, THE WAR MEMORIAL AND THE GOLFCOURSE. AND MOST PEOPLE DONT KNOW THAT ADDICKS RESERVOIR IS THE ORIGINATING POINT FOR BUFFALO BAYOU THAT GOES TO HOUSTON. WHEN I LIVED IN KATY I DID SOME RESEARCH AND HOUSTON HAS LOTS OF HISTORY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gto250us Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 ...do you know of any explicit authorization to enter these areas? ...I used to walk all through the Addicks Reservoir that is now Bush park, west of HWY 6 back during the First Gulf War. At that time the National Guard would periodically train in that area. Well, at least 6 out of every 10 times that I would return to my truck there would be a sheriff waiting for me. He would try to tell me that I was not allowed in the area, which was bull. They would then try to scare me by saying that I should stay out because they have allot of murders and hijacking in the area. Hell, the only folks that I would ever see was the damn sheriff. The whole area is public park and should be open to one and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 This was a great thread, by the way. Just want to thank all who contributed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 The new 1944 aerials on Google Earth really show the changes in this area since the dams were built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 The whole area is public park and should be open to one and all.Wrong. The whole area is NOT a public park. The only park area is Bear Creek Park, on the northern edge of the Addicks Reservoir area. The park is owned by Harris County and IS a public area.The rest of the Addicks Reservoir is controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers, which built the dam and maintains the area behind it for flood control purposes. If somebody in a uniform tells me to get off the military's property, I would do as he says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Walking around it is permitted, camping is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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