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Several years ago, I saw another lock on the Brazos further upstream. It's visible just north of the FM 485 bridge across the Brazos just west of Hearne, and was built around the same time as the other locks.

There was a community on the bluff just north of the lock called Port Sullivan. It grew and prospered in the mid 1800s but then died when railroads were built to neighboring towns but not to Port Sullivan. It had disappeared even before the lock was built.

Here are some links discussing the dam, Port Sullivan, and navigation on the Brazos:

http://www.tshaonlin.../articles/hrp52

http://books.google....epage&q&f=false

http://www.forttumbl...steamboats.html

Thanks, that second link says the dams were not used, and that navigation to Waco was not ever achieved. The Brazos was inconsistent, too high or too low, always uncontrollable.

I've never thought about steam paddle wheelers too much, but they obviously played a huge role in business & military activities, getting crops to market or troops across the river.

Personally, I stay away from the Brazos, too many alligators.

When I was young, my family would take trips to a place on the lake (that looks more like a river) in Austin, would stay in cabins, down in the canyon, was beautiful. They had a replica (I guess) of a steamboat, paddlewheeler. I took a ride on it one time. It was taken out at night, alot, they had parties on it.

Guess none have survived, being wooden in this environment.

Maybe the pool that was out on Long Point was Crystal Pool.

I just re-read post #1, it was the pool at the Gateway location, the person mentions the Crystal & a dome at the bottom.

http://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=lock+dam+%2B+brazos&t=fulltext&fq=dc_type%3Aimage_photo

I've never heard of that Brazos dam system before today, when I ran across these pictures. Wow. Who knew...

This is an interesting subject, one I've enjoyed learning more about, today. Thank you for sharing it.

The reading I've done on San Felipe & Sealy has been enlightening. Apparently, everyone moved to the railroad town, Sealy, after San Felipe refused to grant a major railroad right of way through it's land, they only offered a small piece of land.

My past knowledge of San Felipe have been in relation to its link to Harrisburg, Texas history.

Railroads are so much a part of Texas history.

So which one was called the Crystal Pool?

http://texashistory....e%3Aimage_photo

I'm beginning to think the original bridge that you found may have been destroyed by the flood of 1899, seen in the above pictures (even though the photos are of the Richmond-Rosenberg area bridge). Right after the flood, the hurricane of 1900 arrived.

Don't have any direct proof, though.

http://bridgehunter.com/tx/waller/bh49393/

This bridge was built in 1906. Is this the one that crosses at the same point?

Interesting, in an earlier post, the pool at Gateway is called the Crystal pool. Wait a minute, is that right? I just re-read the earlier posts, which one was the Crystal? I'm confused...

http://www.towers.tx...com/163/163.htm

...this link, with map at bottom, shows the Texas Western, as well as other lines.

http://www.tshaonlin.../articles/eqtpg

...another link w/ info. about the line, but not anything specific to the actual bridge construction.

http://www.texasesca...exasBridges.htm

and one more...site, talks about Texas bridge construction types, someone did great research on this site, includes old b/w pics of bridges.

I couldn.t find anything specific to that particular bridge, but maybe someone else can.

* Just a thought, but maybe the missing track runs through the Pattison property.

Yaah...it's back. and with 8x more speed, like the sound of that.

Glenbrook pool has a "twin", diving board/platform w/olympic pool, off of the beltway, @ Spring Branch. (Campbell St. area) Does anyone know about it? Bye the way, that Glenbrook tower needs a good paint job.

I just looked up that pool in Spring Branch, reminded me of the one in Glenbrook. It looks like it was built later than the Southeast Houston pool, not in the 1973 map, but appears in the 1981 map, source: Historic Aerials. Surprised me, that it was built later. The time I actually passed by the Spring Branch pool, it looked very similar to the Glenbrook one. It had those white diving towers . Too bad the Glenbrook pool was just torn down. The SB pool is named Agnes Moffitt Park, aka Spring Woods Park) at 10645 Hammerly (close to the beltway, north of I-10, Katy Frwy).

I was noticing that the shape of the Gateway pool (I call it harp-shaped) was similar in shape to the Shamrock pool. I was trying to visually decide which one was bigger, was just looking at theold aerials, but read that blue92 said Gateway was much bigger. Must have been gigantic, since I know Shamrock's had ski boats in it.

BTW, I did believe you, blue92, but measured to see difference, just how much bigger, roughly (from aerial map ruler) Gateway was approximately 217' l by 141' (at widest point), Shamrock pool 154' l by 94' w.

Unique shapes.

Has anyone mentioned how deep both pools were? Know that Shamrock's had to be pretty deep, it had those diving towers.

Ah, yes. I was looking at the map wrong. The Fauna st. connects to South Houston, even in proposed dotted area, not unlike all the other town-street names, for example Allen-Genoa (Allen Ranch, Genoa city).

Santa Fe lines up with Howard Dr. It makes sense now, thanks Gnu.

Garden Villas was in place long before "through streets" we now know.

http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/historic/freeway_planning_maps/images/1942_houston_major_street_plan.jpg

I think this map is wrong, it lists Garden Villas (st. or neighborhood name, or both?) located where Meadowbrook, and more specifically where Sam Houston Gardens neighborhoods are actually placed. Howard Dr. was/ is the name of the major street through Meadowbrook. Garden Villas, on this map, is actually located where Santa Fe & Fauna streets are shown. Maps are labeled wrong, sometimes.

Maybe the map designers got confused by the similar triangle shapes of the neighborhoods.

1942 Map -w/ proposed streets in red.

Or, was Howard Dr.originally called Garden Villas?

That house sits in the neighborhood called South Houston Gardens, source: Harris County block books.

The ownership history : currently Bently Nevada Ltd Partnership, located in NV. (I remember that name, now.)

The previous owner was (yr. 1984) Sam Schafer. Source: HCAD.

Was hoping to see when it was built, no luck, with bldg. gone.

it was built before year - 1944, interesting to look on GoogleEarth to see how the property changed through the yrs, especially the trees.

One old block book map shows Moers Rd. going up the rt. side of the property, it didn't.

google earth shows the house as of 4/2004, no house as of 4/2005. Street view shows an empty lot with a deteriorating concrete driveway.

Too bad, was a nice one.

There was a large, old, 2 story, rectangle house that sat on a nice treed lot, at @ 8533 Almeda-Genoa, north side of road. GoogleEarth stills shows the house, but when you zoom in, no house, or bldgs. Does anyone know if it is still standing, what happened to it? Always thought it was so nice. The property was actually turned into a business in later years. The lot still looks really nice, huge trees. Heard a tale of a family tragedy associated with it, a suicide.

Sevfiv, here's a discussion about those sand pits.

What street would the Grace Courts have been on? I would like to look it up on Google Earth. And what structure is sitting about where the Gateway Pool was located?

My mom remembers it, was before my time.

That's funny...a peacock trotting across the road. lol. They're beautiful, but really do have that extremely haunting call, or cry, it seems.

Can't imagine so many. They're breeding like rabbits? Garden Villas oka Peacock Villa.

BTW - State Representative Ralph Wallace grew up in a house in Garden Villas, one of those formal-looking, rectangle, 2 story houses w/ sun porch.

He played the piano, had a grand piano in his living room.

I saw the house when he was running his campaign for office, he won.

The Diamonback was around in the very early eighties, Dan Pastorini frequented the club a time or two.

There was an ice house I grew up with, at Southmore & Allen Genoa Rd. , on the borderline of the cities of Houston & Pasadena. It had some sign painted across it, above the garage doors. want to say it was yellow, sat beside the 7-11. Was there for many yrs, probably still there.

You must be talking about the Winchester Club that Issac played, and the Yellow Rose. I managed to go to the Yellow Rose one time and it was a bit crowded with the layout. I did go to the Winchester often, but home was the Wells Fargo.

Yeah...that was it, Winchester. It was just a big, plain hall. I preferred the nicely decorated ones, a little later, for instance, Kenny Stabler's Diamondback Saloon...(I-45 South). There was one on the NW side, too.

Have really enjoyed reading these posts about 70's music in Houston. I remember Randy Cormer, Issac Payton Sweat, and the others. I was too young to go to the clubs mentioned but I was a faithful listener to KIKK & KNUZ when they were on the air.Love music to this day especially classic country. Favorite is still Gene Watson and his new CD is one of his bests love it.

Just wanted to throw this out there. Does anyone remember the Icehouse in Pasadena I think that is what they called it in the 70's they were always talking about that place on the radio. Would love to know if its still there and would love to see a pic. Thanks

Those names sound very familiar to me, think some of them played at a hall on Bissonnet, Bellaire area, in the early to mid '80's. I recall "Beer Bust" night & a live band, when "happy hour" was in full swing. Some years later, I preferred "The Rose", nice club.

I don't recall that hospital. From the aerials, looks like it was designed in the sixties, has atriums. Wish there was a picture of it, somewhere.

Speaking of Telge Rd. (Post #1), it's interesting how Huffmeister curves onto Telge at the Tin Hall location (it becomes Tin Hall Rd.) w/ a Cypress Gun Club Rd. running perpendicular, off of it.. At the intersection of Telge & Tin Hall Rd. the road name changes back to Huffmeister. All of the changes happen on the same straight piece of road. Hmmm...must have been an important place, Huffmeister bows to it, if only for a short spanse. Does the gun club road lead to the old location of Tin Hall. My parents knew of it, said it had been there for a very long time.

I have a friend who raves about this bbq place...never been myself. There's one on Hwy 290.

I passed by that bldg. the other day. Never seen that article above before, nice b/w shots. It reminds me of the one by the Galleria (gone now)...the name excapes me at the moment, Windsor, maybe. Maybe they were built at the same time, huge lobbies.