Area History 

The Hollows and the Northshore of Lake Travis have seen a tremendous change in both environment and settlement over the last century. The shore on Lake Travis is really the hilltop of what was once the convergence of Big Sandy Creek and the Colorado River. The land below the waterline was deeded to Benjamin Levitt in 1839, by the Republic of Texas. Levitt served under Sam Houston and Sul Ross during the Texas revolt and was awarded with a 240 acre tract for his service to the young republic.

Benjamin Levitt’s daughter, Lucinda Harris Levitt and grand-daughter, Francis Ann Levitt lived on the property throughout their lives. Ann Levitt married James Franklin Carlton and their son Johnnie James Carlton (born 1900) was the patriarch of the living members of the Carlton family. Johnnie James was born in the ranch house which now sits on the bottom of Lake Travis. The ranch was enlarged in the 1920’s when Ann Levitt’s brother, Robert purchased the adjoining 150 acres around Devil’s Hollow for a little more than $12.

Mustangs were once driven down from the hills into Devil’s Hollow for breaking. Vegetables grown in the hollows were carted to market in Austin during the night so that they would arrive fresh in the morning for purchase. Cattle that had once grazed the river valley were moved off-ranch when the rising waters of the dammed Colorado finally covered the valley during 1939-1940. Lost to the rising waters was an artesian spring and a seventy-three foot waterfall in Devil’s Hollow.

Johnnie James and Ann’s children, Margie Lee, Miriam Marie and Preston, attended the one room school house you can see on Old Burnet Road when approaching The Hollows. This small wooden building at first had only the three Carlton children as its pupils. Later the student population grew to about eighteen with grades one through eleven all taught in one room. This school, known as the Cox Spring School closed in 1955 and the students were merged into the Lago Vista school system. The last Cox school teacher, Martin Crass, was the first Lago Vista teacher and a building in the school system is named in his honor.

This oral history of the Carlton Ranch was provided by Preston Carlton in 2005.

To learn more about the history of Lake Travis, please click here.