McKinney Falls State Park, across the Colorado River from Austin, is the 672-acre center of a 40,000-acre tract where Texas pioneer Thomas Freeman McKinney established his ranch.
McKinney was a power behind the political scenes of the young Republic, supporting Sam Houston, among others. McKinney opposed secession, but, when Texas left the Union, he reluctantly helped the struggling Confederacy. Confederate mismanagement and corruption mined McKinney, and he lost his fortune.