Day Trips

Photo by Gerald E. Mcleod

Possum Kingdom State Park preserves a scenic corner of North Texas punctuated by valleys surrounded by colorful canyon walls. The shoreline of the lake of the same name is known more for its million-dollar vacation and retirement homes and cattle ranches than it is for its public parks, which makes the state park all the more valuable.

The 18,000-acre lake was formed behind the Morris Sheppard Dam, the first major flood control and water storage impoundment built in the upper Brazos River basin by the Brazos River Authority. When the Texas Legislature created the authority in 1929, it was the first time a single public entity was created to manage the water resources of an entire major river.

The Brazos runs 820 miles from near Lubbock to the Gulf of Mexico at Freeport. The river authority also owns Lake Granbury and Lake Limestone. The U.S. Corps of Engineers supplies the authority with water from nine other reservoirs in the river basin.

The name Possum Kingdom originated in the early 1900s when a hide buyer set up shop in nearby Mineral Wells. The buyer's best source of hides was a bunch of hillbillies with small homesteads deep in the canyons covered with juniper and post oaks along the Brazos River. Because of the large number of opossum pelts coming from the area, he dubbed it the Possum Kingdom, and the name stuck.

Named for a former U.S. senator from Texas, the 189-foot-high and 2,747-foot-long Morris Sheppard Dam was completed in 1941 by the federal Works Progress Administration. That same year, the Civilian Conservation Corps began work on the park on the southwest side of the lake. The nation's entrance into World War II shortened the project to just a few months. It was the last CCC state park project in Texas.

Because of the abbreviated work schedule, the 1,500-acre Possum Kingdom State Park does not have any of the massive structures made of native stone that many of the CCC-built parks have. It does have a boat ramp, hiking trails, four well-designed campgrounds, and six cinder-block cabins.

Jeff Nichols, who manages the park's store and marina, says that Possum Kingdom is still in great shape for a 68-year-old man-made lake. It is one of the most popular boating and fishing spots in North Texas. Besides the basic foodstuffs and souvenirs, the marina rents all kinds of watercrafts from canoes to 24-foot pontoon boats. The only way to see Hell's Gate, an opening between two 100-foot cliffs and the lake's signature natural feature, is by boat.

Possum Kingdom State Park is about 40 miles north of I-20 and 50 miles west of Mineral Wells. The park store is open year-round but has reduced hours in January and February. To make reservations at the park, call 512/389-8900 or go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us. To reach the park, call 940/549-1803.

951st in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips" 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.