San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission To Review Capes Dam Designation Tonight

Today, it provides water flow into the Mill Race that is a 1/3 of a mile stretch of a river and ends with a waterfall that has become a local hot spot for swimming.

SAN MARCOS, Texas- At 5:45 p.m. on September 6, the San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission will hold a discussion that could designate Cape’s Dam a local historical landmark.

Cape’s Dam has stood watch over our community for over 150 years. Today, it provides water flow into the Mill Race that is a 1/3 of a mile stretch of a river and ends with a waterfall that has become a local hot spot for swimming. The waterfall, known has Thompson’s Dam, is what powered the gin in 1867.

It also provides a set of islands called Thompson’s Islands that holds a state historical marker describing the beginning of the industrial movement of using the river to power gins. The dam was eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historical Places (NRHP) in 1985, the same year that the Hoover Dam was granted National Historical Landmark Status.

Despite being eligible for the honor for 33 years, the historical significance of the dam wasn’t brought up during the city of San Marcos’ decision to demolish the dam rather than preserve it. The official NHRP listing was held off by the request of the local land owners at the time.

“This is a huge step to see the historical discussion regarding Cape’s Dam”, said Brian Olson, local citizen and campaign coordinator of Save the SMTX River. “Not only would removing the Dam destroy this special piece of Texas History, the community would lose special opportunities that the Dam provides. For example, the part of the river that will be destroyed will no longer be usable for recreational therapy kayaking by soldiers from Brooke Army Medical Center.”

Chairperson of the Hays County Historical Commission, Kate Johnson, requested the commission to start the process to designate the area for the local landmark stated, “The support of preservation organizations for saving Cape’s Dam have included the San Marcos Heritage Association, the Hays County Historical Commission, the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Rivers Protection Association, and the Texas Historical Commission. It has also raised awareness and led to historic dams statewide being listed on the Most Endangered Places by Preservation Texas.”

The San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission will vote on the local landmark status of Cape’s Dam at San Marcos City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins Street at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 6. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Save the SMTX River is an advocacy group that has been working to protect Cape’s Dam and the San Marcos River since 2016. For more about the dam and the movement to preserve, visit their website at www. savethesmtxriver.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SaveOurSMTXRiver/.