Blue Hole (Texas Country Reporter)

The famous San Antonio river begins at one hidden place, and is taken care of by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word.

Sister Yolanda Tarango, Pamela Ball
4503 Broadway St
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: 210-828-2224
Website: https://www.headwaters-iw.org/

Video Script:: 

[Music] on a hot summer morning church bells ring across the quiet campus of the sisters of the Incarnate Word school is out of session and many students have traveled to faraway tropical beaches but not the sisters they've stayed put right here in San Antonio visiting a paradise of their own that's remained hidden on their property for centuries this is the hit waters of the San Antonio River this is the origin of the San Antonio River and it is the the mainspring that that feeds it and we refer to it as the Blue Hole I can see why right and right now the aquifer is up and so we're very happy to see it flowing so beautifully [Music] ice-cold and crystal-clear the water that flows naturally from this spring winds up in a rather unexpected place the iconic Riverwalk shaped around the San Antonio River starts here of all places at the Blue Hole while the rest of the city is developed around their property sister Yolanda Toronto and others have fought to protect this sacred land the sisters bought this property from Colonel Breckenridge in 1897 and it was originally a hundred and eighty-three acres and there was lots of water we have pictures of the sisters on row boats with some of the students but on the current property we have the University of the Incarnate Word is on this property as the ministries were growing they were using up more and more space more and more buildings where needed athletic fields etc and so we felt like we really needed to set aside those last 53 acres and so we created a nonprofit organization and deeded that property to this ministry the headwaters and Incarnate Word and we are currently working and hoping soon to be able to put a conservation easement in place to protect it in perpetuity [Music] it kind of makes you stop and appreciate everything around you you know the saying stop and smell the flowers yes so we see this as an extension of our original mission to help bring people back to really appreciate and and heal through the natural world [Music] filled with untouched beauty winding trails throughout the headwater sanctuary guide hikers on a spiritual journey giving a glimpse at what this land looked like before the prairies and trees were replaced with concrete and buildings headwaters activist Pamela ball and a community of volunteers have contributed countless hours to restoring this land so that others can share the same close connection to nature the headwaters sanctuary is a fifty-three acre urban forest it's the only nature sanctuary in the heart of the city of San Antonio we have springs percolating throughout the property when the aquifer is high enough it's a great blessing and the wildlife enjoys it as to do the people who visit here the water that flows throughout this sanctuary has given life to those who've lived here for thousands of years it seems now city weary souls are giving life back to this land which for the most part has been stripped away the end of the trail leads to a towering oak one that stood the test of time it's a testament the mission of the sanctuary and a symbol of this pocket of wonder hidden in San Antonio [Music] it's one of our heritage trees on the property it dates we estimate it's two to three hundred years old so it certainly would have been here at the time when the sisters bought the land from Colonel Brackenridge and we celebrate the existence of these trees on the property as part of the riparian forest and the need to preserve green spaces in the city of San Antonio it's hard to believe that this is in the middle of San Antonio I know and many people don't realize we exist or that this patch of land is here we are bound by the almost damned by a major highway and by one of the most active roads in town Broadway and by a university so there's activity all the time but for those who need a moment of solitude we're here to welcome them what is this piece of land mean to you personally so many things [Music] it represents [Music] the commitment the sisters have to the city you really love this place yes [Music] you