Mission Espada Aqueduct

Last week i took the time to visit the Mission Espada Dam. One of the oldest functioning aqueducts in the United States. The Dam was built by the Native Americans from surrounding farms to serve the missionary lands of Espada but the idea or "blue print" by the Spaniards who brought many technologies of their day to the Indians of South Texas. Some of the technologies include agriculture, roman arches, watermills, herding animals, and also blacksmiths. As soon as I got there the first thing I decided to do was enjoy the scenery. It was so beautiful , "breathtaking"...not the "breathtaking" that would lead one to think it was nice landscaping with multiple flowers blooming, but the kind of "breathtaking" that so wonderful because you were able to see the history of the landscape, so rugged and natural. There was quite a bit of mud and pebbles on the banks of the small stream that ran through the historic dam. There was a few large smooth rocks alongside the stream. The sound of water slightly running over the rocks made a small trickle sound that calmed and relaxed me. This made the experience even more enjoyable for me. This was so weird because i was actually trying to visit the dam and rush to work but when i sat on a rock just to get the feel of the environment it was a sudden stop in time, a mini vaca. so i really took the time to soak that relaxed feeling in. Then I headed towards the marker where a brief history lesson was written. From this information I gathered I learned that the dam was 15 miles long and irrigated 3,500 acres of land. It was built across the San Antonio River. It is the only structure built between 1740-1745. The dam had survived many Indian attacks and floods. The Espada Dam used floodgates to control the amount of water sent to each irrigation. Is was mainly used for the supply of water and the success for agriculture. Also, for bathing, washing, and power for mill wheels. The Dam was one of seven aqueducts used to divert water from the San Antonio River to irrigation ditches for the spanish missions. In 1965 the U.S. Department of Interior Designated Espada Aqueduct as a Registered National Historic Landmark. Today the espada Dam still carries water over creeks to fields near the mission just as it did centuries ago. Espada Aqueduct is a Texas Landmark and serves as a tourist attraction. People from many different places come to visit this Historic Landmark and experience the calming beautiful scenery. So I suggest to you all reading this as well to do the same. Although, i actually arrived late to work, it was well worth my time to stop and enjoy the wonderful experience.