FRITCH, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Lake Meredith is celebrating 58 years on the High Plains. A go-to spot for recreation and fun. The anniversary happens to fall on spring break this year and the park is gearing up for folks to come out and celebrate.
According to the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith started as Sanford Lake and was established back on March 15th, 1965.
The project was devised by A. A. Meredith, a former Borger city manager, and the lake itself was built and financed by the federal government under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation and is owned and operated by the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
The lake would later be renamed after Meredith in 1974 and became Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in 1990, a unit of the National Park Service.
“It’s turned into a true recreation area. A lot of people come here and they hunt, fish, camp, swim, and boating is popular again. A lot of hiking trails we’ve added and continue to build. It’s really good, it’s really exciting,” said the Chief of Interpretation & Education of Lake Meredith and Alibates Flint Quarries Tim Cruze.
Cruze said they have some exciting things planned for the 58th year.
“We are going to do a special tour, kind of a behind the scenes, we ask that folks call to make a reservation, once again it doesn’t cost anything… we are going to talk about Lake Meredith and how it was formed, why it was formed and the building of Sanford Dam and the history of A. A. Meredith,” said Cruze.
Reservations can be made by calling 806-857-6680 or 806-857-3151. This special hike will be held on the Alibates Quarries National Monument and the group will depart from Alibates Visitors Center at 1:00 PM on March 15th.
Cruze said that those visiting the area have the best of both worlds.
“Our sister park, the Alibates Flint Quarries has all the cultural history that goes 13,000 plus years, so there is a lot of real rich history in both of the parks, so you kind of get a two-for-one type deal. A lot of folks that come to Lake Meredith will eventually make their way down to Alibates or vice versa,” said Cruze.
He added you can see the lake has recovered from its historic lows and has become the lake in folks’ backyards here on the High Plains to go a make memories.
“It shows that people really love the lake, support what we are trying to do when it comes to the park service when it comes to maintain it and upgrade it and make it better,” said Cruze.
According to the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, the lake offers recreational activities year-round and has provided water to several cities across the panhandle.
The lake also provides a habitat for birds, mammals, and wildlife throughout the year.
Cruze said that if you do come out for spring break or the anniversary bring plenty of water and wear comfortable shoes. He added if you going to be on the lake, let someone know that you are going to be on the lake, bring a cell phone, and make sure you have enough life jackets for everyone on board your boat.
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