Vision San Marcos Comprehensive Plan

A r c h a e o l o g i c a l e v i d e n c e indicates that people have inhabited the area

Railroads through San Marcos in 1880, and the opening

of Southwest Texas State Normal School (now Texas

around San Marcos Springs for over 12,000 years.

State University-San Marcos) in 1903 Five years later the

Fertile soils, a constant water supply, and abundant

San Marcos Baptist Academy began operation on what

game provided the setting for possibly the oldest

is now the western end of the Texas State campus.

continually occupied site in North America. Artifacts

The tourism industry began in 1928 with the construction

discovered at San Marcos Springs indicate that

of the Spring Lake Hotel by A B Rogers near the

the Clovis culture Native Americans were the first

headwaters of the San Marcos River. The first glass

inhabitants of the area. They were followed in

bottom boat, designed to give visitors a chance to “view

later years by the Tonkawa, Lipan, Apache, and

the beautiful marine garden” in Spring Lake, began

Comanche Native Americans. Native American

operation in 1947. Texas State University’s acquisition

tribes and Spanish settlers still struggled for control

of Aquarena Springs in 1994 marked a shift in emphasis

of the area at the turn of the 19th century; long after

from a “theme park” to one of “ecotourism.” In the early

Spanish explorer Alfonso De Leon had named the

1990s, the Tanger Outlet Mall and San Marcos Factory

San Marcos River on April 25, 1689 (Saint Mark’s

Outlet Mall (now Prime Outlets) became another major

day). The City of San Marcos was founded in 1844

draw for tourism.

by General Edward Burleson, and the original San

Marcos streets were laid out seven years later.

The permanence of the town was secured with the

extension of the International and Great Northern