This one-of-a-kind photograph, a rare "portal to the past," was once owned by Texas historian A. C. Greene. His son Eliot made it available to this website. The photo 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.
|
|
|
|
There are two additional 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, left.) Neither individual is identifiable. Present-day Garland Road, at that time unpaved, can be seen in the foreground of the photograph. 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. |
As with all the photos on this site, reproduction for commercial purposes without permission is prohibited.
