page_title: Barton Creek Greenbelt
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Barton Creek Greenbelt / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The Barton Creek Greenbelt near Gus Fruh Pool during a drought.
context_page_description: The Barton Creek Greenbelt located in Austin, Texas is managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt is a 7.25-mile stretch of public land that begins at Zilker Park and stretches South/Southwest to the final section commonly referred to as "The Hill of Life" which ends in the Woods of Westlake subdivision. The Barton Creek Greenbelt consists of three areas: the Lower Greenbelt, the Upper Greenbelt, and the Barton Creek Wilderness Park and is characterized by large limestone cliffs, dense foliage, and shallow bodies of water.
context_section_description: William Barton gave his name to the creek that created the Greenbelt when he settled on its banks in 1837. 
  On September 7th, 1974, Bradfield, Cummins sold 132.34 acres to the City of Austin for parkland. Another 0.88 acre parcel was purchased July 24, 1982. 
  The trail running along the Greenbelt has an interesting history. For example, the last section, called "The Hill of Life" used to be closed.  John Hartman orchestrated a meeting with the Parks and Rec board to get the trail on it opened. The residents in the subdivision at the top of the hill had cut a deal with Parks & Rec to keep it closed; Hartman turned up at least 10 major neighborhood groups to argue against the special deal and prevailed.
  During the 1970s and 1980s, hikers had to find ways over, under and around the fences placed to keep them from accessing the creek's cool clear water and free swimming holes. The initial Greenbelt "River Rats" made it clear to all users:
  "you carried the trash in...you carry the trash out! Don't let your trash mess up our clear creeks and rivers!"
  In March 2009, The Trust for Public Land donated 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land to the Greenbelt, in addition to the 44 acres (18 ha) they donated in early 2007. Previously, between 1992 and 1999, TPL purchased nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Barton Creek watershed and donated it to the city, transforming a thin stretch of public land into a major metropolitan park. The organization hoped to continue expansion of the trail network in the area in coming years.
caption: The Greenbelt near Gus Fruh Pool during a drought.
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