Longhorn Dam | |
---|---|
Official name | Longhorn Dam |
Location | Austin, Texas, United States |
Coordinates | 30°15′1″N 97°42′49″W / 30.25028°N 97.71361°W |
Opening date | 1960 |
Operator(s) | City of Austin |
Dam and spillways | |
Impounds | Colorado River |
Height | 36 feet (11 m) |
Length | 506 feet (154 m) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Lady Bird Lake |
Surface area | 471 acres (191 ha) |
Longhorn Dam is a dam crossing the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, United States, where it creates Lady Bird Lake. Completed in 1960, the dam was built by the City of Austin as the last in a chain of Colorado River dams in central Texas begun during the Great Depression. The name refers to its location on a ford used for longhorn cattle drives as a part of the Chisholm Trail in the late 19th century.