North Fork of the San Gabriel River

Each crossing on the North Fork had its own landmarks. Frank Russell built a rock house at Russell Crossing in 1868, and Richard Jenkins later settled there, so it was also called Second Booty's. The house stood until 1973, when it was cleared for Lake Georgetown. Booty's Crossing was a favorite spot for swimming, picnics and fishing. Hayden Hunt and his brothers built a log cabin at Hunt Crossing in the 1850s, and the Hunt family cemetery survives on the south bank. Diane Koenig filmed the canyon in 1974 and 1975, before the water rose.

What the plaque says

North Fork of the San Gabriel River The North Fork of the San Gabriel River, part of the Brazos River system, flows east across Williamson County to join with the Middle and South forks at Georgetown. Abundant fish and wildlife attracted numerous Indian tribes to the areas along the stream in historic times. Named Rio de San Xavier by Spanish explorer and priest Fray Isidro Felix Espinosa in 1716, it was known as the San Gabriel River by the time Williamson County was created in 1848. Anglo settlements along the river in the 1800s led to the establishment of four major crossings which took the names of families living at the sites: Booty, Russell (later Jenkins), Box, and Hunt. Located along the stream near the crossings were homes, mills, schools, churches, cemeteries, postal stations, and a gin. Booty, Russell, and Box Crossings were inundated by the waters of Lake Georgetown, but Hunt Crossing remains above the reservoir. Planned as part of a flood control measure for the Brazos River system, a dam creating Lake Georgetown was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1979. The lake and adjoining parks and recreational facilities were opened in 1981. (1988)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Williamson County Courthouse — 3.8 mi
  The fifth Williamson County courthouse, a Beaux Arts building by C. H. Page, rises over a Georgetown square of more than 50 Victorian-era buildings.
• Inner Space Cavern — 5.0 mi
  A Georgetown cave found in 1963 when highway engineers drilled test holes, holding Pleistocene fossils and 72-degree rooms that visitors reach by an artificial tunnel.
• The Round Rock — 11 mi
  A table-shaped stone in Brushy Creek gave Round Rock its name in 1854; the Chisholm Trail crossed the creek near it, and Old Town stayed behind when the railroad pulled the town east.
• Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge: Doeskin Ranch — 21 mi
  A free federal refuge north of Lake Travis kept for two songbirds that need old juniper and oak, with trails at the Doeskin Ranch unit near Bertram.

More markers nearby

• Old Georgetown Cemetery — 3.3 mi
• Site of Marshall-Carver High School — 3.3 mi
• San Gabriel Park — 3.6 mi
• Railroad Produce Warehouse — 3.6 mi