Onalaska, in Texas

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Onalaska, Texas


One could say that the heart of Lake Livingston is Onalaska. It is located on a peninsula extending out into the lake. Onalaska has the Trinity river bed on the east side, and Kickapoo creek on the other. Many pictures that are associated with Lake Livingston are taken of the bridge that crosses Lake Livingston at Onalaska.

Onalaska is the home of many communities that are located on the shores of Lake Livingston. It's location 80 miles north of Houston, and 200 miles south east of Dallas, makes it an ideal place for weekend or vacation homes.

While visiting Lake Livingston, Onalaska is a perfect place to stop. You have several restaurants, nearby campgrounds, marina's, and a motel.

Great fishing can be found by the bridge that crosses Lake Livingston. The old Hwy 190 roadbed is also near by, which is a great place to catch fish. It is also a great place for water sports. When the wind is making waves on one side of the bridge, the other side can be calm. If you have a boat, a public boat ramp is located on the south east corner of the bridge.
Picture of an Alligator

On rare occassions in some of the coves that have a creek near Onalaska you may catch a glimpse of an alligator. Most of the time, the alligators are content on living in the creeks, and they generally do not venture into the main lake area. Most alligators, tend to stay away from humans, but if you do see an alligator, never appoarch it. Always enjoy the view from a distance.

Onalaska is rich in history. The town was founded in 1840 as a farming community. With the arrival of the Carlisle mill, the population in Onalaska grew. It became known as the largest sawmill in Texas. When the forest depleted in 1920, the sawmill closed, and Onalaska became a small Texas town. When Lake Livingston was completed in 1969, Onalaska once again began to grow.

Wildlife can be found in the woods near Onalaska. Most of the time, the homes around the lake see the everyday wildlife like squirrels, and turtles. At night time, you may see possums, and armadillos.

If you like viewing birds, Onalaska is a great place. You can find igrets, ducks, hawks, cardinals, blue jays, and occassionaly an eagle. Many of the homes around the lake have humming bird feeders. The humming birds usually start visiting in early May, and leave the lake area around the end of Sept.