HISTORY OF SETTLEMENT ALONG THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER • The headwaters of the San Antonio River

come from an Edwards Aquifer spring field north of downtown San Antonio. The river flows 240 miles (386 km), converging with the Guadalupe River before finally flowing into San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The San Antonio River has been a vital resource to the inhabitants of the San Antonio River Basin and has greatly contributed to the rich history of the area.

• Archaeological excavations have produced evidence that the first human habitation along the San Antonio River occurred over 11,000 years ago.

• The first documented arrival of Spanish explorers occurred on June 13, 1691. Members of a Spanish expedition celebrated Mass on the banks of the river, during which Franciscan priest Damien Massanet renamed the waterway San Antonio because it was the Feast Day of Saint Anthony.

• During the 1700s, five Spanish Colonial Missions – Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo), Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada – were located in close proximity to the river. The San Antonio River provided a clean, reliable source of water for the missionaries and the river’s riparian and aquatic ecosystem provided vital resources to support life at the missions.

• Although founded independently, the missions are located at a distance of less than 3.1 miles (5 km) from each other and shared a common approach to defense against attacks. The missions are also a testimony to an interweaving of cultures from the European and North American continents, and they are a unique example of mission complexes lying in unusual proximity connected through the San Antonio River.

• The missionaries harnessed the water resources of the San Antonio River to support the agricultural operations at the missions through a system of gravity fed acequias (irrigation channel), aqueduct and dams that demonstrate the ingenuity and resourcefulness of these early settlers. Portions of this water conveyance system remains in use today, 265 years later.

• The San Antonio River, along with fertile soil

and open range, attracted settlers from Nueva

España throughout the 1700s, followed by

settlers coming west from the United States in

the early 1800s. German immigrants, along

with other Europeans, migrated to San Antonio

in the mid-1800s establishing neighborhoods

and businesses, particularly breweries, along

the river.

• Flooding was a recognized hazard as early as

the flood of 1724, which resulted in relocation

of Mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo)

to a safer site. History also tells of floods, some

deadly, in 1819, 1865, 1880, 1899, 1913, 1921,

1946, 1998 and 2002.

• In response to repeated floods, the U.S. army

Corps of Engineers channelized the river and

nearby tributaries in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

The 1990s saw the completion of the San Pedro

Creek Flood Tunnel (1991) and the San Antonio

River Flood Tunnel (1997).

• During the 1920s, city architect Robert H. H.

Hugman developed an architectural plan that

included preserving and enhancing the natural

beauty of the downtown river and river loop

area. Initial construction on the river park was

completed in 1941, and thus, the San Antonio

River Walk was born.

• Today, the San Antonio River Walk has an

annual economic impact for the City of San

Antonio totaling over $3 billion and it supports

over 31,000 jobs. The San Antonio River

Improvements Project has helped create an

urban park through the heart of the 7th largest

city in the United States that is over 15 miles

(24.1 km) in length and connects over 2,000

acres (809.4 ha) of public park land along the

river – this is more than two times the public

acreage of New York City’s Central Park.

For more information, please visit the San Antonio

River Authority at www.sara-tx.org.