History
The land within the preserve has been inhabited for several thousand years, and a number of Native American artifacts have been found on the property, including human remains. After the arrival of European settlers in the mid-1800s, the area became part of a working ranch. The bottomlands were converted to cropland and the remainder was used for grazing. Eventually becoming the Bar-O Ranch, several parcels of land were subsequently donated by Louise Merrick between 1976 and 1982 to establish the Hill Country State Natural Area. Ms. Merrick stipulated that the property was “to be kept far removed and untouched by modern civilization, where everything is preserved intact, yet put to a useful purpose.” The preserve was opened to the public in 1984 with 4,753 acres (19.23 km2). In 1986 a further 616 acres (2.49 km2) were acquired, bringing the total size to the current 5,369 acres (21.73 km2).
Read more about this topic: Hill Country State Natural Area
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