Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This year I am visiting every state park in Texas and Martin Dies Jr State Park is my ninth one. Before you kayak the fourteen miles of paddling trails or swim in the reservoir, this park has a story worth knowing. The Hastenai Caddo people called this land home, using the Neches and Angelina Rivers for transportation, trade, and fishing. They thrived here until European settlers arrived and pushed them out. The Alabama Cashada people also lived in this region doing the same. By the 1800s and 1900s, Americans were using this land for the lumber trade, floating wood down those same rivers. Everything changed in the 1950s when they built the B.A. Steinhagen Dam, turning the lowland forests into a lake. In 1964, this area officially became a state park and was named after Martin Dies Jr., a congressman from this area. Being in these parks is an opportunity to learn both Texas and natural history just out in the wild. Full video on my channel.
This year I am visiting every state park in Texas and Martin Dies Jr State Park is my ninth one. Before you kayak the fourteen miles of paddling trails or swim in the reservoir, this park has a story worth knowing. The Hastenai Caddo people called this land home, using the Neches and Angelina Rivers for transportation, trade, and fishing. They thrived here until European settlers arrived and pushed them out. The Alabama Cashada people also lived in this region doing the same. By the 1800s and 1900s, Americans were using this land for the lumber trade, floating wood down those same rivers. Everything changed in the 1950s when they built the B.A. Steinhagen Dam, turning the lowland forests into a lake. In 1964, this area officially became a state park and was named after Martin Dies Jr., a congressman from this area. Being in these parks is an opportunity to learn both Texas and natural history just out in the wild. Full video on my channel.
