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Early RepublicReconstruction & Gilded Age

Browder Springs

Dallas, Dallas County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Named for Browder family originally owning this site. Springs played key role in founding of Dallas and were principal source of water before a pumping system with city mains was installed. During drouth of 1909-10, springs were reopened to supply a million gallons of water a day. 1968

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Named for the Browder family who owned the land, these springs supplied Dallas with its principal water source in the town's earliest decades, before city mains and a pumping system arrived. The springs proved their worth again during the drought of 1909โ€“10, when they were reopened to deliver a million gallons a day. Reliable water like this was the difference between a settlement that survived and one that failed.

Why it matters

Access to fresh water shaped where American towns rose and endured, and Browder Springs helped make the founding of Dallas possible.

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Related events

  • ยท Drought of 1909-1910

Themes & tags

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