The Lower San Jacinto River in 1944
The San Jacinto River in 1944 was a lazy meandering river. The banks were lined with bald
cypress and wildlife was plentiful. There was no industrial or residential development of any kind
at this time and the surrounding area was mostly rural farmland that was irrigated by waters
of the river.
With no dam to reduce flow, the San Jac was a true flowing fresh water river. Very useful
for the farms in the Highlands area.
1944 did mark the beginning of "Sand Mining" in the area. River sand, which was highly
valued for it's use as a component in concrete, was being dredged from the river bottom and
loaded onto barges for transport. This photo shows the beginnings of what is now Parker's
Hole (Mule Shoe Lake). This area would be eventually mined to the extent that a lake was
formed.