Texas cart ruts embedded in limestone creek beds extend underwater. Round Rock Memorial Park site has ruts 2-3 inches deep, some up to a foot or more Bull Creek site features multiple overlapping tracks including 4-wheel turning patterns Ruts continue underwater for at least 100 yards in creek beds
Texas has cart ruts! At Bull Creek in Northwest Austin, ruts cut 2-3 inches deep into limestone extend underwater for about 60 yards through creek beds. These mid-1800s wagon ruts survived over a century of flooding and sediment deposition. Multiple overlapping tracks can be seen. Plaque attributes them to settlers, consistent with their preservation in the limestone creek bed.
Key Facts
- Round Rock Memorial Park site has ruts 2-3 inches deep, some up to a foot or more
- Bull Creek site features multiple overlapping tracks including 4-wheel turning patterns
- Ruts continue underwater for at least 100 yards in creek beds
- Ruts survived heavy equipment scraping during 2024 renovations
- Geologically embedded in limestone with no raised material alongside ruts
Related site: Cart Ruts — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The Mystery of the Cart Ruts by The Randall Carlson