What is the history of Barton Springs? Barton Springs, a group of springs that are counted as the fourth largest spring in Texas, have been attracting attention since the members of various Native American tribes found them to be a reliable and comfortable campsite thousands of years ago. “Uncle Billy” Barton bought the land around the springs in 1837, just before Austin was founded as the capital of the Republic of Texas. The two major springs were named after Barton's daughters Parthenia and Eliza. Although widely popular as a public swimming hole, campground, and picnic site during the late 1800s, it was 1918 before the springs came under public ownership, when Andrew Zilker donated the land around the springs to the Austin school district, which in turn sold the land to the City of Austin for public park land. The city enlarged the pool and built the surrounding sidewalks in the 1920s, creating "the finest municipal resort in the entire southwest." It also built two permanent bath houses—a two-story wooden structure in 1922 that washed away in the flood of 1935 and the current limestone building in 1946. An average of 26 million gallons of water issue from the Edwards Aquifer through the springs each day at a stable and chilly 68° F.
Barton Springs is Austin. It is the largest natural swimming pool in the United States located within an urban area, setting Austin apart from other metropolitan cities. Barton Springs is Austin's soul and sums up everything that Austin stands for. A chilly swimming hole, the center of a political and environmental debate, a meeting place. Barton Springs is all of these things. Here you can swim with politicians, musicians, ducks and salamanders. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of 'Leonard', a giant fish reputed to patrol the waters. Barton Springs has been used by people inhabiting this area for tens of thousands of years. In the days before air conditioning
Austinites used the springs to stay cool. Barton Springs has powered several mills, cooled many Native American tribes, hosted Spanish missionaries, provided a community meeting place for early settlers, and soothed millions of people over the years