Clear Lake is a populated place located in
Collin County, Texas
Collin County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth- Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small portion of the city of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States census, the county's popula ...
on the south end of the
Lavon Lake
Lavon Lake is a freshwater reservoir located in southeast Collin County, Texas, on the East Fork of the Trinity River near Wylie, off State Highway 78. It is commonly called Lake Lavon for commercial and recreational purposes, but Lavon Lake is ...
Peninsula. By land it is south of
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
and over water northwest of
Lavon, southwest of
Copeville, and north of
Wylie.
Population
In 1910 the population of Clear Lake was estimated at seventy-five and by 1914 had grown to 100. Despite the construction of the
Lavon Reservoir
Lavon Lake is a freshwater reservoir located in southeast Collin County, Texas, on the East Fork of the Trinity River near Wylie, off State Highway 78. It is commonly called Lake Lavon for commercial and recreational purposes, but Lavon Lake is ...
in 1954, the estimated number of residents at the community remained at fifty for the period from the 1930s to 1990.
History
The United States government in 1884 built and operated a distillery on the banks of nearby Clear Lake. A small number of settlers were attracted to the area by the federal project, after which the town of Clear Lake was established in 1890. In 1898 a post office was established but it was discontinued sometime after 1930. The postmaster was Robert L. Palmer. The community was a principal provider of
bois d'arc
''Maclura pomifera'', commonly known as the Osage orange ( ), is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, native to the south-central United States. It typically grows about tall. The distinctive fruit, a multiple fruit, is roughly spherical, ...
timber for
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
for several years at the beginning of its existence. Dallas was experimenting with the use of wood to pave its streets but after the project was abandoned many residents left Clear Lake. The community was also on the
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. From its starting point in Galveston, Texas, the railroad eventually extended northwestwards across the state to Sweetwater and northwards via ...
. The land surrounding Clear Lake was subject to seasonal flooding, which destroyed crops even though it was located in the heart of the Blackland Prairie
Geography
The census enumeration district map of 1940, Collin County E.D. 43-39, shows Clear Lake west of the
confluence of Ticky Creek
and Pilot Grove Creek
which today is submerged in Lavon Lake.
Further reading
Courier - Gazette, early 1940Clear Lake
References
External links
TopoQuestTX HomeTownLocator
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Collin County, Texas
Unincorporated communities in Texas