Calaveras

Texas ghost towns run the full arc: cattle railheads, cotton towns the boll weevil broke, and oil booms that went bust.

Calaveras Lake is a reservoir on Calaveras Creek, located 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, US. The reservoir was formed in 1969 by the construction of a dam to provide a cooling pond for a series of power plants, called the Calaveras Power Station, to supply additional electricity to the city of San Antonio. The dam and lake are managed by CPS Energy of San Antonio. Together with the smaller Victor Braunig Lake, Calaveras Lake was one of the first projects in the nation to use treated wastewater for power plant cooling.

The on-the-ground condition of Calaveras is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Calaveras is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.