LCRA - Energy • Water • Community Services
 
LCRA 75th Anniversary Interactive Quilt

LCRA's 75th anniversary observation in 2010 included a commemorative quilt that tells the story of LCRA in photographs and special messages from key officials.

We've designed an interactive version of the quilt that you can view at your convenience. Mouse over and click on any photo or message to see an enlarged image and caption. Once you enlarge an image, you can use your left and right arrow keys to scan through the images.

If you would like information about a specific photo, contact LCRA Corporate Archives: (512) 473.3296 or 1-800-776-5272 Ext. 3296/E-mail: archives@lcra.org.

LCRA has donated the original quilt to the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin to ensure its preservation and make it available to researchers.

1934 – Gov. Miriam A. ‘Ma’ Ferguson signs on Nov. 13 Texas Legislature’s bill creating LCRA 1935 – First members of LCRA Board of Directors take oath shortly before first day of business Feb. 19 1935 – First LCRA ‘logo’ depicts charter responsibilities for water, electricity and conserving basin’s natural resources 1937 – Jobs for building Buchanan Dam saved many poor Texas families from depth of Great Depression 1938 – Floodwaters force LCRA to open 22 of 37 Buchanan Dam floodgates during one of the massive floods of the 1930s 1938 – Inks Dam was built downstream of Buchanan Dam to generate electricity 1938 – Young Lyndon B. Johnson helped organize PEC to provide electricity to rural Hill Country. This is the first board of directors. 1940 – Tom Miller Dam is built atop two earlier dams destroyed or damaged by heavy floods <em>(LCRA Corporate Archives, W00059)</em> 1940s – LCRA hosts ‘electric fairs’ to promote use of low-cost electricity and new appliances helpful to homemakers <em>(LCRA Corporate Archives, CS00036)</em> 1942 – Building massive Mansfield Dam takes federal funds and LBJ’s help. The term ‘Highland Lakes’ is coined to promote Lake Travis recreation. 1947 – LCRA acquires first nonhydroelectric generation source, the Comal Power Plant, to meet growing electric needs <em>(LCRA Corporate Archives, EU00104)</em> 1948 – At LBJ’s urging, LCRA adds soil conservation to its duties 1948 – Soil Conservation Fair in Burnet displays equipment farmers and ranchers can rent to improve their land 1951 – Marble Falls Dam is built in tandem with Wirtz Dam to increase LCRA’s hydroelectric generation. Dam is renamed later for Max Starcke. 1951 – Granite Shoals Dam is renamed for Alvin Wirtz. Wirtz and Starcke complete the chain of Highland Lakes and dams. 1952 – Drought of Record drops lakes Travis and Buchanan to all-time lows. This is Tom Hughes Park on Lake Travis 1952 – LCRA provides San Saba with streetlights as part of community economic development effort 1964 – LCRA floats are mainstays in parades all over the service territory and show community support, like this one in Bay City 1965 – Natural gas-fired Sim Gideon Power Plant in Bastrop County comes on-line and is cooled by Lake Bastrop 1974 – Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant near Marble Falls is powered by natural gas. Lake LBJ provides cooling water. 1975 – ‘Electric bold’ was longtime feature of LCRA logo promoting public power 1976 – New LCRA logo is modeled after Texas state seal 1978 – First two units of coal-fired Fayette Power Project are under construction east of La Grange in Fayette County 1986 – LCRA logo emphasizes conservation of energy and water 1988 – FPP’s Unit 3 comes on-line to help provide Central Texans affordable, reliable electric power 1991 – LCRA logo has a slogan: ‘The Power To Make a Difference’ 1992 – General Office Complex in Austin near Tom Miller Dam is headquarters for LCRA 1994 – Responding to increasing needs of a growing population, LCRA expands its water/wastewater utilities 1995 – West Texas wind power becomes a renewable energy resource in power portfolio 1998 – McKinney Roughs Nature Park near Bastrop offers outdoor fun, camps and science-based education New logo emphasizes ‘Energy, Water, Community Services’ 2001 – Lost Pines 1 Power Project near Bastrop is fueled by natural gas in a high-growth region 2006 – Matagorda Bay Nature Park offers beachfront camping, birding, hiking, fishing, wetland preservation and natural science classrooms 2007 – Colorado River advocate Haskell Simon is inducted on Walk of Honor with Luci Johnson’s parents, Lady Bird and President Lyndon Johnson 2010 – For 75 years, LCRA has proudly served the people of Texas The Colorado River is the reason LCRA exists. Here it winds through Bastrop County. The City of Austin is LCRA's largest retail water customer serving nearly 900,000 people Irrigation districts provide water for rice and other crops boosting the economy of the basin’s coastal region Wholesale Power Services provides electricity from a variety of generating sources LCRA Transmission Services Corporation is formed during restructuring of the electric industry in Texas Dam and Hydro Ops crews keep Buchanan Dam generating clean hydroelectric power Giant Penstocks at Buchanan Dam deliver water for power house to generate hydroelectricity Lake Travis is a favorite recreation spot for picnics, boating and fishing Smithville Rail Fleet Maintenance crews keep 1,480 coal railroad cars rolling Gentle Pedernales River is a Colorado River tributary in the Hill Country Camaraderie helps make employees enjoy their workplace and colleagues LCRA TSC’s substations help deliver electricity across the state River operations, including floods, are managed from LCRA’s state-of-the-art River Operations Center Rafting the Colorado keeps kids cool at McKinney Roughs Nature Park summer camp Employees keep LCRA’s power plants generating electricity for 1.1 million Texans LCRA TSC owns or leases more than 4,400 miles of transmission lines Fayette Power Projects’ supply of coal for boiler fuel comes from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin LCRA Rangers work closely with law enforcement agencies on public safety issues on land and lakes Expert welding and other skills are part of Smithville Railcar Maintenance Facility
 
 
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