Rita Blanca Lake Began as a Flood-Control Project

Rita Blanca Lake began with floodwater, not recreation. In 1938, the Works Progress Administration and the Panhandle Water Conservation Authority started an earthen dam on Rita Blanca Creek, three miles south of Dalhart in Hartley County. The project was built to control flooding in the Rita Blanca-Carisso creek drainage.

By May 1941, the reservoir was three-fourths full. A dedication followed on July 20. Heavy September rain then broke the lower part of the spillway, though the dam itself held. Dalhart took a 99-year recreational lease in 1951, and the 1950s brought roads, landscaping, wells, and buildings for fairs and club meetings.

The public role changed again in 1990, when TPWD leased a 1,668.4-acre site from Dallam and Hartley counties. It opened in 1994 and became a state park in 1995. By 2002, TPWD and Dalhart were negotiating to transfer the property to the city.

Hiking trails now begin at Lake Drive and Apache Drive. The same stretch of ground has served as a flood-control project, a state park, and a city recreation space. The earthen dam is the piece that started the whole chain.