Martin Creek Lake State Park
Nature
Fall, usually late October through the first two weeks of November, is a particularly scenic time at Martin Creek. Visitors can marvel at the colorful foliage displayed by the many varieties of hardwoods interspersed with loblolly and short-leaf pine trees.
The park's forest shelters abundant wildlife, including gophers, swamp rabbits, nutria, white-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos and squirrels. Park visitors enjoy excellent year-round fishing, due to water warmed by the power plant. Fish include largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, perch, ball and sunfish. Among the most commonly seen birds are mallard ducks, great blue herons, green-backed herons, great egrets, northern cardinals, blue jays, red-headed woodpeckers, bobwhites and northern mockingbirds.
History
Martin Creek Lake State Park, which consists of 286.9 acres, is located in Rusk County, southeast of Longview. It was deeded to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by the Texas Utilities Generating Company on June 23, 1976, and was opened to the public the same year. The park is located on 5,000-acre Martin Creek Lake, constructed to provide cooling water for a lignite-fired, electric power generation plant.
The park and surrounding area have been inhabited by people since 200 B.C. Until the 18th century, Caddoan Indians and Spanish explorers lived in and traveled through this area. Later the Choctaw, Cherokee and Kickapoo Indians migrated here in response to the increasing influx of Anglo Americans. Visitors can still see the old roadbed of Trammel's Trace near the fishing pier. It was an Indian trail that became a major route for settlers moving to Texas from Arkansas. In 1833, Daniel Martin, for whom the park is named, settled with his family near the creek called Hogan's Bayou at the time. He and his neighbors eventually built a small fort and then a town called Harmony Hill. It reached its heyday after the Civil War, but it was deserted by 1900 and was struck by a tornado in 1906. Only one Civil War-era building remains today, and it has been converted into a storage shed. Traces of the old roads that brought prosperity to Harmony Hill can still be seen in the park and are part of the hiking trail.
Things to Do
Activities include excellent, year-round fishing; camping; wildlife observation and photography; picnicking; boating; water skiing; lake swimming (unsupervised); backpacking; hiking; and interpretive programs. An annual perch fishing contest is held for children ages 4 to 12 the first Saturday in September. The park has cabins and screened shelters available for overnight use, and a 75-person capacity Group Picnic Pavilion.
Area Attractions
Nearby attractions include Caddo Lake State Park, Starr Family Home State Historic Site, Texas State Railroad and the historic cities of Marshall, Longview, Kilgore and Henderson.
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