BURNET COUNTY, TX - At Lake Buchanan in Central Texas, shrinking shorelines tell the story of the drought. But another story hidden beneath the water has surfaced because of that same drought.
With lake levels down 20 feet, the long-forgotten town of Bluffton has reappeared.
Three times a week, Vanishing Texas River Cruise guide Tim Mohan shares the history of Bluffton, a Texas town with a tough past.
The first location burned in 1883. The townspeople moved to the banks of the Colorado river, where Bluffton flourished until 1937. The Buchanan Dam put that town underwater and forced residents to move again.
"People just don't know that there's an old town like this that had so many people living in it," said Mohan.
After more than 70 years underwater, there's little left of the town. Still, the remnants that do remain tell the story. Scales sit right next to an old cotton gin showing signs of a once thriving community.
Fifty families used the town daily for its blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and school. Today, visitors walk a main street made of granite sand. The few relics left behind piled on what's left of buildings.
Bluffton isn't going anywhere, but it's only a matter of time before the waters that once covered it return.
