9515 County Road 2181D
Tatum, TX 75691-3425
903/836-4336
History: Martin Creek Lake
State Park, which consists of 286.9 acres, is located in Rusk County, southeast
of Longview. It was deeded to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by the
Texas Utilities Generating Company on June 23, 1976, and was opened to the
public the same year. The park is located on 5000-acre Martin Creek Lake,
constructed to provide cooling water for a lignite-fired, electric power
generation plant.
The park and surrounding area have been inhabited by people since 200 B.C.
Until the 18th century, Caddoan Indians and Spanish explorers lived in and
traveled through this area. Later the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Kickapoo Indians
migrated here in response to the increasing influx of Anglo Americans. Visitors
can still see the old roadbed of Trammel's Trace near the fishing pier. It was
an Indian Trail that became a major route for settlers moving to Texas from
Arkansas. In 1833, Daniel Martin, for whom the park is named, settled with his
family near the creek called Hogan's Bayou at the time. He and his neighbors
eventually built a small fort and then a town called Harmony Hill. It reached
its heyday after the Civil War, but it was deserted by 1900 and struck by a
tornado in 1906. Only one Civil War era building remains today, and it has been
converted into a storage shed. Traces of the old roads that brought prosperity
to Harmony Hill can still be seen in the park and are part of the hiking trail.
Activities: Activities include
excellent, year-round fishing; camping; wildlife observation and photography;
picnicking; boating; water skiing; unsupervised lake swimming; backpacking;
hiking; and interpretive programs on Saturday (when staffing allows). An annual
perch fishing contest is held for children ages 4 to 12 is held first Saturday
in September.
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