The Colorado River runs through the heart of one of Texas’s most cherished cities. Austin has a reputation for its scenery, urban waters, and immersion in the arts, with the much-celebrated SXSW music and media festival that descends and consumes the city each spring. 

Nestled in the center of the river and a short drive from Mount Bonnell, hiking trails, and the University Of Texas At Austin campus is a scenic spot that dog walkers and those searching for respite know very well. It’s a stone's throw from the Tom Miller Dam that stands tall today.

Red Bud Isle is a welcome feature for Austinites, but the origins of this tranquil place are layered in far more sinister and tragic circumstances. Ironically, it’s accurate to say that, in this case, you simply couldn’t have the place today without the past tragedy.

IS THERE MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE AT RED BUD ISLE?

Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Dogs splashing playfully on the water's edge, owners breathing in the fresh air, and couples out for a stroll are familiar sights at Red Bud Isle. But, with every step on the land, there are remnants of disaster. One which changed the face of Austin. A man-made catastrophe with fatal consequences would mark the city with scars that are both visible today and some spooky phenomenon that is more hidden from view. The details of both would leave the onlooker uneasy. Delve further into the unknown by booking a ghost tour with Austin Ghosts.

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF DISASTER

The pioneers of the burgeoning age of electricity were quick to see a future in hydroelectric power and harnessing water to serve Texans. When construction on the Austin Dam began in 1890, there were far more engineering challenges and concerns than contemporary construction would elicit today. The city's need for power was to be met by constructing this colossus wall. Banker George Brackenridge and his consortium of businessmen saw the dam as a way of thrusting the city of Austin into industrialization.

While the concept appeared sound, the dam building was beset by a list of worries, including whether the dam would satisfy the projected power needs of the burgeoning city. Alarmingly, during the dam's construction, several engineers quit in protest of Mayor John McDonald’s constant meddling in the project. McDonald was largely responsible for garnering support for the dam's construction. The reservoir above the dam, Lake McDonald, is named after him. However, McDonald's interference in construction would often be at the expense of materials and sound practices, forcing engineers to walk away only to be replaced by more pliable substitutes.

Engineer Thomas Taylor had gone so far as to question the location chosen for the project, citing a limestone faultline beneath the dam as a serious concern and threat to the dam's very existence. These concerns would go unanswered, and events would take a shocking turn. On April 6, 1900, Austin was inundated with heavy rain and flash flooding, which Taylor previously warned could be dangerous should excessive strain be placed upon the fledgling structure. The following morning, just before 11 am, a large crowd gathered to watch in awe as flood waters flowed over the dam. Some onlookers described the spectacle as ‘their very own Niagara Falls.’ These spectators were unaware of the impending danger.

Deadly Waters

At 11:07 am on April 7th, spectators heard what was described as a large crack akin to the sound of a gunshot. The events that followed were far more deadly than the dispatch of a single bullet. A tsunami was released that instantly broke into the adjacent powerhouse, killing eight people inside, three of them young boys. The New York Times grimly reported their demise as being “drowned like rats in a trap.” The gut-wrenching reality of what was unfolding sent some galloping on horseback to try to warn those further downriver to flee.

They could not outrun the terrifying wall of water, and the Congress Avenue Bridge was struck. The bridge stood firm against the water's unfathomable force, but the crowd that had gathered on the bridge to watch in awe was decimated, washing away at least another 50 lives with the fearsome torrent. The disaster would leave Austin in darkness for several months to come.

Lake McDonald was emptied, the dam obliterated, and the shattered frames of Austenite homes washed downriver. As the water subsided, the mass of debris would, in places, settle. One such paradoxically calm and scenic settling site became what is known today as Red Bud Isle. 

THOSE DAM GHOSTS

Fifteen years after the initial dam collapse, more extraordinary rainfall would bring flooding and claim the lives of sixty more people. Throughout the years, several failed attempts were made to resurrect and rebuild the dam. It wouldn’t be until 1940, when war was engulfing the world, that the Tom Miller Dam would be constructed. This dam stands today, pushing the ‘Great Granite Dam’ disaster ever further into folklore year by year. Even as the lives lost slip further from view, there may very well be someone or something seeking to illuminate what was lost. Depending on where you look.

LIGHTS IN THE WATER

Ghost lights in a misty darkened forest
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Many Austin residents believe that the deaths of so many in one place have lingered through time and left a spectral signature of sorts. Pieces of the original dam can still be found further south of the 1940 replacement. In this area, many have reported seeing the chilling site of strange orbs of light dancing under the surface, as if this watery grave still holds close the souls of those lost as the tsunami of water and debris struck. The recovery of those lost in the disaster was a long and arduous process and hardly a fitting place of rest for those departed.

Paranormal investigators have recorded disembodied voices through the static in the area while noting electromagnetic disturbances in the places where old, worn lumps of the original dam came to rest. Even the geological composition of the area is said to play into these spine-chilling moments. In lore, the local rock formations are said to be perfect for channeling the energy of the dead so that the living may feel it. Odd temperature fluctuations only add to the unnerving mystery that this catastrophe created.

THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

The peace of Red Bud Isle belies its shocking and terrifying past. Its very existence was forged from a raging flood. Now a scenic hideaway and dog park, it's hard to imagine the scene as it was, with titanic pieces of the dam being picked up like paper and dropped where the tall old trees grow. Book a ghost tour with Austin Ghosts to learn more about Austin’s haunted history. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Texas hauntings.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwgIsnLbSU

https://www.austinmonthly.com/austins-most-haunted-history-and-urban-legends

https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/13mrjim/the_great_granite_dam_failure_april_7_1900/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwgIsnLbSU


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