06/03/2026
Everyone thought my grandpa, Rex Houston, had lost his mind in 1934 when he purchased land on Lake Hamilton (only two years after it was created). But he knew he wanted to rent boats, be a fishing guide, build cabins to rent, and he was stubborn enough to do it!
He started small with just a few boats and, before long, he had 26 boats and was a very popular fishing guide.
Beginning in the winter of 1936, he started building the cabins. Cabins 1 & 2 were completed in 1937. Cabins 3 & 4 were completed in 1938. During that time, he also had to build a house for my grandmother, Mad, and himself because the original house had burned down. They were married on June 3, 1938 (88 years ago today), and that is when she moved here from Little Rock. (Many of their friends made bets that she wouldn't last a year there, but she proved them all wrong. Living here until she passed away April 13, 1988, two months shy of their 50th anniversary.) He had to take a break while he was in the Navy during WWII.
Then, when he returned, they had my dad, Skip, in 1946. You can imagine how busy they were with a little one, 4 cabins, 26 boats, and his fishing guide business. Even with all of that, he was able to build Cabins 5 & 6 and have them both ready for the summer of 1949. He ran the place until his death on April 13, 1996.
That is when my dad moved home to take over the place. Renovating all the cabins before adding Cabins A-F between 2007 and 2013 (including having to rebuild Cabin F after it burned to the ground).
Now I live here full-time and help my dad run the place. As I was cleaning Cabin 2 today, I thought about all the times she did exactly what I was doing. Like, how cool is that?!
I know my grandparents could never have guessed that Five Points Lake Hamilton would still be going strong after all these years. I love the life they created for us.
Happy 88th Anniversary, Mad & Rex❤️
*I have included a few pages from her Grandmother Remembers book, which she left me.
~ Shay Houston Blankenship
