Choke Canyon State Park, consisting of two units, South Shore and Calliham, is located on the 26,000-acre Choke Canyon Reservoir, a water supply for Corpus Christi. The park was acquired in 1981 in a 50-year cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation, the city of Corpus Christi and the Nueces River Authority.

The Calliham Unit, containing 1,100 acres in McMullen County, was opened to the public on Aug. 21, 1987. The South Shore Unit contains 385 acres in Live Oak County and was opened to the public on March 5, 1986.

From the scant evidence available, we know that Paleo Indians crossed the Frio River Valley more than 10,000 years ago following game such as bison and mammoth. After the disappearance of large game more than 8,000 years ago, nomadic hunters and gatherers associated with the Archaic culture camped near the river making tools, building fires, and gathering and processing food. Numerous Archaic sites in the Choke Canyon area have been recorded.