There are two other figures in the photograph. One is standing on the old catwalk that used to span the spillway. The other is seated beneath a tree on the opposite site of the photo. (See detail photos, below left.) Neither individual is identifiable. Present-day Garland Road, then unpaved, can be seen in the foreground. Other noteworthy features of the photo are buildings that may be a part of the infamous "Pea Patch," where non-violent offenders worked off their fines, a smokestackless pump station, and several farm houses and buildings, including the old Jacob Buhrer dairy farm.

The possibly one-of-a-kind photograph, a rare "portal to the past," was once owned by Texas historian A. C. Greene. It was made available to your host by his son Eliot. It was probably taken in 1911 or 1912, shortly after the White Rock dam was completed. The lake, as seen in the photo, has barely any water impounded. (The lake was not considered "full" until 1914.) On the spillway area, which is completely dry, an automobile is parked. The driver is believed to be Fred A. Jones, the contractor whose company built the dam. In all likelihood, the photo was commissioned by Jones, as a record of his achievement.

Measuring 43 inches long by 10 inches wide, this historic photograph was taken by turn-of-the-century Dallas photographer Henry Clogenson. Although Clogenson took innumerable photos of the Dallas area during the early 1900s, not much is known about him. Anyone with any information about the photographer is encouraged to contact the author of this web site at: texian1846@yahoo.com. Comments and conjecture about the photograph itself are also invited.

Because the original file is very large and would take a long time to download, I have divided the photo into four sections, each one measuring 2178 x 1928 pixels (approx. 400 KB). After viewing, use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this page.

As with all the photos on this site, reproduction for commercial purposes without permission is prohibited.