Saffold Dam

More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
Saffold Dam is a historic site in Texas, at a modelled elevation of 147 m. Comanche Lookout stands 315 m to the west, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Henry Troell, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away. Texas Independence Trail passes 1.2 miles off. 16 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Saffold Dam at the Flores Crossing is a dam and man-made waterfall in the city of Seguin, Texas. Named for William Saffold, a Civil War veteran, a major landowner and local merchant. The dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1979. This dam began as a natural outcropping in the riverbed. After Henry Troell bought the mill, the dam was further built up over the years. In 1895, Troell installed hydroelectric generators to power his mill and the town. Then in 1907 he sold the dam and power plant to the City of Seguin, which owns them today. The low but wide dam forms a graceful S curve, a rare structure for a dam. It is a unique design on the Guadalupe River, and perhaps in Texas. The dam we see today was built as part of Max Starcke Park, designed by Robert Hugman, the father of the San Antonio River Walk. The dam/waterfall, like the rest of the original section of the park, was built by the National Youth Administration, to Hugman's plans. The park was dedicated in 1938, the town's centennial. Saffold Dam is located on the west side of Texas State Highway 123 Business, about 10 blocks south of downtown Seguin. One side borders Max Starcke Park and the city's water works; the other side has the abandoned power plant.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7398706, matched on coordinates and name (96 m apart).
What the record says
- Built
- 1991
- Material
- aluminium
What to expect
- Operated by
- Texas Historical Commission
How to reach it
- 1.2 mi off the Texas Independence Trail
- 12.6 mi off the Texas Hill Country Trail
Overlooks nearby
- Wetland Wonders · 22 mi
- Sinkholes · 22 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Henry Troell: 0.0 mi
- Guadalupe River: 0.0 mi
- Claiborne West: 0.8 mi
- Ezekiel Smith: 0.8 mi
- Jonathan Douglas: 0.8 mi
- Ruby P. Vaughan Park: 1.0 mi
- Veteran’s Park: 1.1 mi
- Walnut Springs Tower Dog Park: 1.1 mi
- Heritage Village: 1.1 mi
- Heritage Village: 1.1 mi
- Los Nogales Museum: 1.1 mi
- Pape Pecan House / Nutcracker Museum: 1.2 mi
- Sebastopol House: 1.3 mi
- Heritage Museum: 1.3 mi
- Fiedler Memorial Museum: 1.6 mi
- Kings Hill: 7.7 mi
- Harborth Hill: 11.0 mi
- Mill Creek Hills: 11.2 mi
- Capote Knob: 11.5 mi
- Capote Hills: 11.8 mi
- Martin Luther Statue: 1.5 mi
- Antique Road Grader: 3.4 mi
- Steelmaker: 3.7 mi
- World's Largest Pecan: 5.4 mi
- Buc-ee's Beaver: 13.7 mi
- Menoo Woods: 18.2 mi
- San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center: 20.0 mi
- Purgatory Creek Greenspace: 22.4 mi
- Jackson Nature Park: 23.2 mi
- Meadows Center for Water and the Environment: 23.7 mi
- Concrete: 14.0 mi
- Albuquerque: 16.0 mi
- Carpenter: 17.5 mi
- Doseido Colony: 18.7 mi
- Adkins: 19.4 mi
- Learning Tree: 22.3 mi
- Grandmother's tree: 22.9 mi
- Green Acres Golf and Games: 23.1 mi
- Spring Lake Glass-Bottom Boat Tour: 23.8 mi
- Natural Bridge Mining Company: 24.3 mi
- Denning Spring: 12.8 mi
- Comal Springs: 15.0 mi
- Suphur Spring: 19.4 mi
- Bear Springs: 23.1 mi
- Weismuller Spring: 23.5 mi
- Water Garden Gems: 13.3 mi
- Ron Pedde Memorial Community Garden: 15.9 mi
- Guadalupe County Community Garden: 17.4 mi
- Pollinator Garden: 20.0 mi
- Monarch Waystation: 24.6 mi
- Red Bluff: 22.4 mi
- Purgatory Creek Overlook: 22.5 mi
- Canyon Lake Spillway Gorge: 24.9 mi
- Canyon Lake Spillway Gorge: 24.9 mi
- Guadalupe County Westbound Rest Area: 11.0 mi
- Guadalupe County Eastbound Rest Area: 11.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Saffold Dam. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comanche Lookout | W 276° | 315 m | 23.9 mi |
| Mission Hill | NW 314° | 292 m | 16.2 mi |
| Coal Kiln Hill | N 351° | 281 m | 19.9 mi |
| Trunk Hill | N 353° | 263 m | 19.7 mi |
| Rocky Point | SW 220° | 237 m | 23.4 mi |
| Kings Hill | SSE 162° | 228 m | 7.7 mi |
| Calf Hill | WSW 252° | 227 m | 23.7 mi |
| Nail Hill | NNW 346° | 215 m | 16.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:37 | 19:12 | 19:44 |
| June solstice | 06:33 | 20:01 | 20:36 |
| September equinox | 07:21 | 18:58 | 19:30 |
| December solstice | 07:23 | 17:02 | 17:38 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Sep–May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 52 | 56 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 80 | 71 | 61 | 54 |
| Precip in | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Austin SAN Antonio, 11 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element node/12403617447
Take the scenic way to Saffold Dam.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.
