Spring Lake Park officially became a city park in 1924. It is one of only a handful of parks to be designated by the Texas Recreation & Park Society (TRAPS) as a Lone Star Legacy Park. To qualify for this distinction, a park must hold . . . — — Map (db m291287) HM
Texarkana tradition holds that in 1541, Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto's expedition camped at the natural spring that now brands Spring Lake Park. In 1926, the Lone Star Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution affixed a plaque to . . . — — Map (db m291054) HM
In 1841, the Republic of Texas granted Tennessee native William W. Wooten title to 640 acres of land he had settled in 1837. Wooten bought an additional 640 acre tract from Will Oldham in December 1848, a few months after the Treaty of Guadalupe . . . — — Map (db m291085) HM
In 1886, the Texarkana Street Railway Company was founded by Frank Whitley, Alfred Deutschmann, and Ben Foremen. One of its destinations was Spring Lake Park. For a nickel, Texarkanians could travel to the park in a streetcar which rode on railway . . . — — Map (db m291094) HM
On July 4, 1912, the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce hired a self-proclaimed fine flyer to fly a plane over the park. The pilot's plane (which was actually a plank of wood surrounded by bamboo contraptions that the pilot had to manipulate) was . . . — — Map (db m291101) HM
The most infamous memory of Spring Lake Park remains The Phantom Killer. In February of 1946 a murderer started targeting young lovers in secluded areas at night, striking terror throughout Texarkana. By early May the killer had murdered 5 people . . . — — Map (db m291199) HM
In 1950 the first permanent building, the Merchant Building, became home to the Four States Fair and Rodeo. The foundation for the Fine Arts building was laid the following year and completed in 1952. It is the only surviving building from the Four . . . — — Map (db m291142) HM
