Cameron Park: A Park to Rival All Others

Last updated on July 29, 2024 at 04:00 PM

Entrance gates to Cameron Park. 1940s. Baylor University Texas Collection.

Cameron Park is one of the largest municipal parks in Texas just steps away from our downtown. It features a 23-hole disc golf course, stunning views of the Bosque and Brazos Rivers, and a 20-mile network of trails perfect for friendly strolls and challenging climbs. Cameron Park has been a beloved community gathering spot for over a century filled with beauty, recreation, exercise, and socializing. The park also has a deep history intertwined with the City of Waco’s growth.

A Family’s Legacy

Born in Scotland, William Cameron carved a successful path in the American lumber industry, opening his first lumber yard in 1868 in Missouri. Later in 1876, he and his family settled in Waco and opened the headquarters for Wm. Cameron and Co. A few years later in 1899, Cameron died suddenly.

Eleven years after his death, the Cameron family presented to the Waco City Commission a check for $5,000 and the deed to Proctor Springs for a public park with the stipulation that it be called William Cameron Park. Only three days later, the City of Waco held a celebration and dedication for the 125-acre park donation.

A Park in Bloom

Cameron Park Jacob's Ladder. 1910s. Baylor University Texas Collection.

Over the decades through subsequent gifts, Cameron Park blossomed from humble beginnings into an almost 400-acre interconnected park system.

• 1914: The road we now know as University Parks Drive is opened to connect downtown at the Washington Avenue Bridge with the park’s south entrance.
• 1917: The Cameron family donated the 60-acre Lovers’ Leap Park to the City of Waco.
• 1920: The Cameron family donated an additional 191 acres of land to Cameron Park.
• 1922: A new road was opened connecting Pecan Bottoms to Lovers Leap.
• 1930: Cameron Park had grown to more than 300 acres with 12 miles of “first class gravel roads”, ten tennis courts, playgrounds, picnic tables, a rose garden, and a stone archway at the main entrance on N 4th Street and Herring Avenue.
• 1942: William Cameron and Co. donated 64.5 additional acres of land to the park as a memorial to the late Flora B. Cameron, Mr. Cameron’s widow.
• 1972: After resident pushback and a court challenge, the City of Waco extended Herring Avenue through the park and over the Brazos River to connect with East Waco. A new entrance at N 4th Street and Herring Avenue and four-foot-high, 242-foot-long curving wall was also constructed built partly with stone from the previous entrance.
• 1987: Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place was opened after retired longtime Waco Congressman W.R. Poage donated $100,000 for the construction of a wildflower preserve across from the Cameron Park Clubhouse. The preserve was named in honor of his late mom, Helen Wheeler Conger Poage.
• 1987: Anniversary Park was dedicated after a $50,000 donation from the Junior League of Waco in honor of their 50th anniversary. Anniversary Park sits on the clubhouse grounds across from Miss Nellie’s.
• 2020: The City of Waco purchased an adjacent 28.245 acres of adjoining land located near the intersection of Adeline and Merriwood.

Challenge and Triumphs

Even after a variety of improvements, the park began to see a decline in the 1970s and 1980s due to public perception of the park being unsafe. The City of Waco took a proactive step to combat this in May 1986, when Larry Simms, Nora Ybarra, and Deke Dalrymple began working as the park’s first horseback park rangers. The opening of Cameron Park Zoo in 1993 also injected new life and excitement in the park.

A Century of Joy

In preparation for the park’s 100th anniversary in 2010, the City of Waco breathed new life into the park, ensuring it would continue to be a cherished destination for generations to come. In September 2006, Waco City Council approved new concrete walls at Lovers Leap, Emmons Cliff, and Circle Point with metal fences to improve safety for visitors. In 2007, Waco voters approved a bond package that included several million dollars for improvements.

A June 2009 celebration marked the addition of Cameron Park’s trail system to the National Park Service’s National Trail System. The next year, a parade marked the beginning of a six-month celebration of the park’s 100th anniversary. The most recent addition to Cameron Park was in May 2011 with the new Northern Gateway Park on the grounds of the former Northern Little League baseball fields.

Nearly 114 years after the Cameron family presented the first of several gifts of land to the City of Waco, Cameron Park continues to be a place where memories are made for Waco residents and visitors. Cameron Park is truly a park to rival all others.