By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
Artesian Lakes is celebrating its 50-year anniversary as a family-owned and operated business. Over the years, many Southeast Texans have enjoyed camping trips, retreats and overnight stays at the resort referred to as the Crown Jewel of Texas by the East Texas Chamber of Commerce. While the memories of many families are linked to the resort through vacations, no one knows the property like owner Dr. Jimmy Smith.
Artesian Lakes, aptly named because of the mineral waters that spring up from five deep wells on the 600-acre property, has 13 inter-connected lakes that vary in depth from 8 to 20 feet. An abundance of wildlife, including squirrels, deer, raccoons and alligators, call the resort home today in addition to the 100 or so homeowners who live or spend weekends inside the gated, affluent subdivision that is sprawled out over 400 acres. The resort is located on CR 2132 in northeast Liberty County.
Smith’s aunt and uncle, Jack and Mark Biggs, purchased a small section of the property in 1932 from two owners, the Beesley Family and Texas Construction Materials.
“It had been called Chain O’ Lakes by one of the first mayors of Beaumont since the 1900s supposedly. The land was used for gravel quarry excavation starting in the 1900s, which created all these lakes,” Smith said. “We are surrounded by an ancient ox-bow of the Trinity River, which is responsible for the enormous deposits of sand and gravel. “Eons ago there was a geologic uplift, and the land was used for gravel quarry excavation starting in the early 1900s, which created all these lakes. They started by taking off all of the longleaf pines and then digging for gravel using mules and oxen with a scoop dragging behind them.”
As technology improved and made its way to Texas, a steam-powered, wood-burning Climax Model B locomotive was used to haul the trees and gravel around the property. Much of the gravel ended up in the Houston or Beaumont areas where it was used for construction projects.
World War II brought the end of many of the Climax B locomotives as scrap metal was needed for the war efforts. However, the locomotive at Artesian Lakes was spared that fate because it was stranded on an island in one of the lakes. For decades, the locomotive remained on the island until Smith and his son, Wyatt, rescued and relocated it to another site within Artesian Lakes.
“A lot of the excavation in later years was done by draglines. The larger gravel was mostly what they wanted back then,” Smith said.
As a 6-year-old child, Smith recalls sleeping in one of the old cabins that were left behind from the early logging and quarry days.
“I can remember waking up to the sound of a black bear rummaging through the trashcan. That would have been around 1952-54,” he said. “That’s about the time my uncle drilled one of the artesian wells – the one that supplies the swim lake water. It still flows about 100,000 gallons a day.”
In 1969, Smith’s parents, Dr. J.D. Smith, Sr., and Norma Smith, purchased the property from his uncle and aunt and developed it as the Big Thicket Camp Park. Smith said he and his brothers provided a lot of the labor for the construction of facility.
For 12 years, the family managed the park, which later was leased to the Red Arrow franchise. Smith Sr. continued making improvements to the park, including building a home for the family, which later became the present-day Hilltop Restaurant and Herb Farm.
In 1983, Smith and his father purchased another 102 acres that adjoined their property. The resort was later renamed Chain O’Lakes until 2002 when it was changed to The Retreat at Artesian Lakes, which was an extension of the 400-acre Artesian Lakes subdivision and picked for the sake of continuity, Smith explained.
Over the years, the park has morphed from a campground to a resort with 30 waterfront cabins now available for lease. Smith said The Retreat at Artesian Lakes has become a favorite destination wedding and special events venue and frequently is the site of corporate events. The resort features a 160,000-gallon saltwater pool that has boulders and waterfalls incorporated in the design. Enormous magnolia trees and Spanish moss-covered oak trees add to the ambiance of the rustic setting.
Hilltop Restaurant and Herb Farm draws in other visitors to the resort with Saturday morning breakfast after a horse-drawn carriage ride from the log cabins and Friday and Saturday night dinners. Smith said his wife, Helena, is overseeing management of the restaurant.
“We host roughly 40 corporate events per year, and they are sometimes 2- to 3-day retreats,” Smith said. Now retired from dentistry, Smith facilitates leadership, team-building and conflict resolution programs for some of these corporate gatherings.
With his son and daughter-in-law, Wyatt and Jenna, handling the day-to-day concerns of the resort, including the management of its water system and sewer plant, and maintenance of the cabins, Smith is focusing his attention on selling the last remaining waterfront properties in the gated community. Homes in the neighborhood range from $350,000 to several million.
Though the homes are located in a rustic, remote setting on the edge of the Big Thicket National Preserve in northeast Liberty County, the homes have amenities that are not readily available in other nearby communities, such as a 250 mbps fiber optic cable to each home site.
“The majority of our homeowners are weekenders. We have only 12 couples who live here full-time,” he said. “We try to make it as low hassle as possible for the residents who really want to enjoy their retirement or weekends. Mowing is part of the property owners’ association fees. Our residents do not get a water bill or sewer bill. It’s part of their association fees. They get garbage service, mowing, weed eating in certain areas, fish stocking and road maintenance.”
Smith is working on a new project inside Artesian Lakes – a 106-acre master-planned community that will feature a 65-acre lake surrounded by 20 lakefront home sites. To check out log cabin rentals, restaurant accommodations and menus, conference center rentals and lakefront properties available for purchase, go online to https://artesianlakes.com/
See more photos below:
This photo shows the Climax Model B locomotive in use at what is now called Artesian Lakes. 
An old, wooden-burning Climax Model B locomotive was stranded on an island in Artesian Lakes for decades until it was rescued by Jimmy Smith and son, Wyatt. Smith said the old locomotive avoided the scrapyard during World War II because it was impossible at that time to retrieve it from the island. 
Doc and Norma Smith were the parents of Dr. Jimmy Smith, owner of Artesian Lakes near Romayor. 
The general store and artesian well at Artesian Lakes are pictured. 
Dr. Jimmy Smith (left) and Dr. Dan Carter are pictured in this photo from 1963 after a particularly good day of fishing at the Artesian Lakes community. 
Dr. Jimmy Smith (right) discusses his plans for Artesian Lakes in this photo taken from the 1980s. 
Dr. Jimmy Smith gave up a lucrative career as a dentist to focus on Artesian Lakes. Today he shares motivational messages with corporate groups visiting the retreat. 
Dr. Jimmy Smith drives his first nail in the first log cabin at Artesian Retreat. 
Pink house near the pool at Artesian Retreat 
Dr. Jimmy Smith and son, Wyatt, (left) handle the main operations of the water and sewer plant at Artesian Lakes. Not afraid of hard work, the two can often be found making additional improvements during non-peak months. 
The quarry frame at Artesian Lakes is pictured. Gravel deposits that were left behind by the winding Trinity River were hauled to Houston and other cities for construction projects. 
The original swimming hole at Artesian Lakes 
Leon Culbertson, now 84 years old, was 50 years old when this photo was taken. He was balanced on top of a 6-inch log wall, swinging a sledge hammer and driving in 10-inch nails. He is still building fine cabinetry in his workshop. 
This photo taken in 1999 at the Artesian Lakes property near Romayor was overgrow Dr. Jimmy Smith (right) visits with John Gawronski, one of the residents of Artesian Lakes. 
The old railroad tracks serve as a reminder of the history of Artesian Lakes. 
Jack and Mark Biggs, the uncle and aunt of Dr. Jimmy Smith, purchased a small section of the Artesian Lakes community in the early 1930s. 
Residents of Artesian Lakes enjoy regular get-togethers at the boat house. The camaraderie is part of the allure of living in the small community. 
Residents of Artesian Lakes try their luck at fishing from the boat house during a recent gathering.
I just heard that the new housing development in the area of the Retreat is owned by Trey Harris & Terrenos,. Is this just a rumor or is it true???