In 1874, a local cooperative built a dam near where the road (now TX 190) to Fort McKavett (SS39) crosses the San Saba River and dug an irrigation canal nearly five miles long into central Menardville. It partially traced the route of the acequia constructed in 1761 for irrigation and to transport stones for the fortification of the Presidio de San Luis de las Amarillas (SS38). A map by engineer Nicolas de la Fora, from 1766, shows the acequia. The “ditch,” as the canal was called, has been in continuous operation ever since; the Menard Chamber of Commerce posts a ditch-watering schedule on its front door.
You are here
Menard Irrigation Ditch
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.