The acequias served as the Spanish colonial
water system. The missionaries and mission Indians built these
ditches to supply nearby missions with drinking and irrigation water
diverted from the San Antonio River.
In 1957, the river channel was being
reconfigured for flood control. At this time, the San Antonio
Conservation Society purchased 25 acres of pecan grove south of Loop
13 between the east channel line of the San Antonio River and the
west bank of the San Juan Acequia. The Society’s purchase preserved
the site’s natural beauty by preventing commercial development of
the land. A year later, circumstances forced the Society, along with
other landowners, to file a law suit against the San Antonio River
Authority over water rights and water flow into the acequias. The
suit was eventually won in 1962, resulting in a restructuring of the
flood gates and providing gravity flow into the San Juan Acequia.
On October 25, 1975, the Society’s Foundation deeded
the site to the City of San Antonio for use as a park. This gift
coincided with the award of a Bureau of Outdoor Recreation grant.
Acequia Park was transferred to the National Park Service for
inclusion in the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park on
February 20, 1983. |
