History of White Rock Lake: Dallas, Texas

A long-time popular recreation destination in East Dallas, White Rock Lake has a rich heritage. Join Sally Rodriguez as she tells the story of this historical body of water that lies west of Buckner Boulevard, between Garland Road and Mockingbird Lane.
Responding to a water shortage, Dallas city leaders approved the damming of White Rock Creek to create a new water source in 1909. The project was completed in 1911. Later, the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration constructed stunning amenities that still adorn the landscape. Sailing, rowing, hunting, and fishing activities were soon enormously popular at the site.
World War II brought increased military uses to this locale, including a prisoner of war camp for German officers. In 1943, the government used the barracks at Winfrey Point to house German prisoners of war who had served in Rommel's Afrika Corps.
White Rock Lake is the source for one Dallas’ most famous folk stories-the Lady of the Lake. Several versions of the story are told around campfires. Any variant of the tale involves a woman in a soaked white dress spotted somewhere along the edge of the lake. After pleading for and getting a ride home, always in the back seat, she vanishes before reaching the destination. A puddle of water on the seat is the only visible evidence that she had been in the car.
The Bath House Cultural Center, Audubon Bird Watching Center, hiking and picnic areas are among the many attractions that draw over a million visitors a year.
Author of “Images of America: White Rock Lake” and “Images of America: White Rock Lake Revisited,” Sally Rodriguez worked for the City of Dallas Parks Department for over 32 years, served as district manager, and promoted the historic legacy of the Dallas Park system.

[@clutchcargo2419]

Back in the 70s my best friend and I would ride our bikes from HP to White Rock on weekends. Wonderful times.

[@cnnaylor5878]

Really enjoyed your presentation - thank you!

[@utxdoni]

Amazing!!! That pump house, where we played and it was so spooky ... was once 'state of the art' machinery!

[@martasaavedranj]

Awesome History, Thank you I can't wait to be there and know the Lake🏞🤍

[@berghof22]

I grew up at 9306 W. Lake Highlands Dr. in the 1970's and 80's with a fantastic view of White Rock Lake and the Bath House. So many fond memories flying our kites in the fields, the huge riot in 1977(and subsequent metal barricades preventing cruising on the east side), the building of the bike trail, the Goodyear blimp fly overs. Without a doubt, the best neighborhood and views in DFW. I took Ms. Rodriquez's bus tour a few years back and it was historically amazing.

[@stevenk5951]

i was there in 1977, not huge

[@perfectperson214]

The cemetery on Dalgreen, the road that used to go to Greenville, has “woodmen of the World” headstones, when i was a kid everybody used to go there at night to get spooked.

[@janhaslett2328]

My grandparents took me in the water when you could still swim there. I have a picture somewhere. This was my playground growing up.

[@pamelaurbelis5032]

Great documentary! I grew up in East Dallas. Maybe y'all knew my dad, Irwin C. Harris, P.E., A.I.A., Park board Architect, and Asst. Dir. of Engineering for the Parks Department 70's-80's? They named the Parkdale Service Center after him.

[@conchrepublictheband]

Went to Lake Highlands from 78-81. Spent many days and nights at Whie Rock Lake

[@jstar1000]

I use to live off Park Lane and the Skillman area in the Ivy apartments back in the mid to late 80s then in the wildflower apartments in the early 90s, anyway I use to ride my bike from those apartments to and around white rock lake all the time and once this huge storm came though and there were so many old growth trees that were knocked over like I had never seen in all the years I rode around that lake. It was sad there were so many but I also remember the city came and planted a lot of trees not long after that. Its pretty wild how that lake has changed over the years.

[@jeffreymartin6369]

When I was living with my best friend in an old Victorian house moved to Lanshire Dr from downtown in the 50s, his grandmother was always on the phone with her best buddy Roberta Coke. Roberta came to lunch driven by her chauffeur, and he brought flowers to us from Roberta. One day "Lady" Katharine as we called her sent me out to the iris gardens on the little estate where we lived, it was 3.5 acres to cut some flowers for me to take to Roberta. The address was on Garland Rd and I was shocked to see it was the old house lost in the bamboo forest down a gravel path! We now know it as the Camp Estate next to the DeGolyer Estate all included inside the Arboretum. Roberta Coke was Mrs Camp! A really lovely red headed woman, time frame was around 1979? 80? I grew up near the bath house and still live in East Dallas

[@michaelcowan6254]

We used to play on the spillway at Whiterock lake in 60's. Then in the 70's, a friend of mine would hook up a team of horses to a wagon and we would make a trip around the lake. It was a blast.

[@d.b.2812]

I got to go under the lake in the 70s and we swam in the lake until around 1980. I've heard so many conflicting stories about the lake that it's hard to know what's true and what's not. My first person Dallas history goes back to 1872. I'll be 60 next year and would like to pass on what i learned and maybe in the process learn some things i didn't know. Would love to hear other stories about the lake and it's history.

[@Dr_5150_]

Very informative documentary are speech or whatever you call this I live in Denver Colorado and as I sit here smoking on my cannabis I am intrigued and installed by the subject manner I have learned Mass knowledge from this video about White Rock lake in Dallas Texas

[@pepesport2009]

great information on the history of the lake, thank you

[@lovequeen7080]

Oh please restore the Lily Pond!!

[@nathencoomes5795]

Great history! I fish the lake fairly often. It needs to be dredged badly. The upper 1/3 of it is only 2-3 feet deep. To answer the question about how deep is the lake, the deepest part is 18 feet. There is a large flat out in front of the damn that runs a good ways and its all 16-18 feet. Never seen anything deeper and I have graphed the whole thing.

[@garyburt4210]

we went thru the tunnels that went under the lake. entrance to tunnels was next to the resevoir..they filled the entrance with concrete in 1970's

[@shiftintohigh5564]

Wtf!

[@invisableobserver]

My great grandmother and another elderly person told me the the dam was built to flood the area to cover up some very old structures, also the pump station and the bath house are built on top of older structures that were already there; one building that was similar to the old Gaston Ave baptist church. Also the CCC destroyed some of the old structures that were around the lake and built on the same places. Also some of the old houses on Garland road across from the lake were rebuilt on older buildings that were there. Do you have any photos of buildings from the 1800's of this area? it looks like this area was used as a quarry at one time. I spent alot of time at the lake in the 60's, 70's & 80's exploring the area.

[@giraffewhiskers2045]

My dad lives near here :)

[@jennyames6532]

Never knew alot of this history

[@ellentuton7642]

Love leash law story!

[@Diver6106]

Great presentation!!!! ... but what about all the sailing clubs along the shore?

[@user-cm4px6sj7z]

You don't need to explain Submarine Races to me. Woodrow graduate 1960

[@blessedbeyondmeasures7532]

I been here

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Not sure what scale Kessler used for the distance rings in his map, but it was not 5 miles. That would put Mockingbird Lane about 23 miles from city center. Not hardly.

[@theivansantos6355]

I seen a crocodile there I was at the dock late night fishing 🎣

[@cmartinez1903]

A crocodile or alligator?

[@josecolon8352]

They caught one there I remember seeing it on the news about 15 years ago

[@theivansantos6355]

@@cmartinez1903 I don’t know, either both. It was dark late night about 1:30 am But it was crazy seeing that. My girlfriend made us leave she was scared

[@theivansantos6355]

@@josecolon8352 well there’s another. I’m sure it was a 🐊. And I dislike that my friends won’t believe me

[@josecolon8352]

I'm pretty sure there is.. the one I remember was a 5 footer

[@ronnierage7488]

17 ft deepest area

[@rubey2649]

I threw a couple of guns in there in the early 80’s. Wonder how many guns they would find if they drained the lake.

[@md-ln4fp]

LOL, I live at Exall park.

[@keithnichols7926]

It isn't made clear whether White Rock Lake is natural or man-made, although the question session after Sally's talk refers to the land-owners whose land was acquired.

[@wardcleaver1790]

Man made dam that blocked the waters of White Rock creek,which was a natural stream.

[@christopherharrison9343]

Also Lady of the Lake HEINZ 57=HE I NIGGAZ FEMALE I IF CROSS WISE EVE IN !!]

[@yourworstnightmareiscathoc7015]

Shit Man, that was completely not planned well.

[@rickclark5918]

WHAT A WASTE OF MY TIME WATCHIN THIS

[@lovequeen7080]

Why would you say that?

[@clayscloset2618]

So you’re screaming that because you’re using all caps, and you’re complaining but I’m pretty sure nobody like handcuffed you to a chair and somehow made your eyes stay open and made you watch this. You chose to sit there, just like everything else in life it’s up to you, so don’t be a little dick and complain about your choices when it’s actually interesting. And if you think it wasn’t very good why don’t you make a documentary and put the link here for all of us and will be the judge.