Bastrop State Park is a state park in Bastrop County, Texas, United States managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park was established in 1933 and is notable for its stands of loblolly pines and the rustic architecture of many of its buildings. The park is a certified site of the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail.
History
Pre-foundation and construction
The Spanish travel route known as El Camino Real traversed through the area and aided in the early colonization of Texas in the 1700s. The city of Bastrop, Texas, established in 1832, depended on the natural resources of the area for regional growth; Bastrop's timber harvest from pines fueled construction in Austin, San Antonio, and northern Mexico. Long before the park's construction began, citizens of Bastrop and Smithville recognized that the land was worth preserving and kept it as an informal recreational area supervised by a local hunting and fishing organization. The land had also served unsuccessfully as a private resort area.
In the early 1930s, during the peak of the Great Depression, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a public works organization known as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to put young men to work and preserve the country's natural resources, create public recreational areas, and boost the economy. In 1933, with the help of the National Park Service (NPS) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the CCC began the development of Bastrop State Park. When the CCC expressed interest in transforming the local pine forest area, several residents of Bastrop and Smithville donated about of land to the state government.
Companies 1805 and 1811 of the CCC built many of the park facilities between 1933 and 1939 using native stone to blend with the landscape. The facilities were designed by architect Arthur Fehr and were considered a showcase of park architecture when built. Following the principles of the NPS, Fehr wanted the park's facilities to have harmony with its surrounding landscape of hills and forests, and used native materials for construction. The stone cabins at Bastrop State Park are intentionally blended and appear to come out of the ground like a natural outcrop. This same non-intrusive design was used for the park's dams, bridges, culverts, and fences. These architectural features served as a role model for later park development by the CCC across the entire US. By using the location's natural materials, the CCC was also able to keep construction costs down and reduced the need for importing materials from other areas.
Among the CCC's main duties in the early phases of the state park's construction was seeding, transplanting, and clearing tangles of brush and fallen timber. They also constructed twelve stone and timber cabins, several utility buildings, a lake, and several landscaping structures. Both CCC companies stayed at the park until 1939 before moving to other state parks to continue their preservation efforts. Two other Depression-era groups, the National Youth Administration (NYA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), helped improve Bastrop State Park's facilities. The NYA built and used a maintenance building to construct furniture for the CCC to use for several Texas state parks, including Bastrop's. Moreover, the WPA built a swimming pool and the original nine-hole golf course in two separate projects with the supervision of the TPWD. In land, labor, and material, Bastrop State Park cost about US$1,500,000 (approximately US$34,247,076 in 2022) once completed.
Inauguration and early years
Once completed and opened to the public, Bastrop State Park received national recognition due to its natural landscapes and architectural displays. It also became the keystone of Bastrop's economy during its early days as many park attendees also visited Bastrop while visiting Bastrop State Park. It also served as a major recreation area for nearby residents and organizations. In 1936, Bastrop State Park was invited to the Texas Centennial Exposition at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) campus to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico. Park architect Fehr, construction foreman J. R. Pfeiffer, and superintendent A. R. Henry attended the event and participated in a botanical exhibition, where they delivered a large red cedar tree of in diameter to the university. The tree was received by Dr. G. W. Goldsmith, who supervised the botanical exhibition. Bastrop State Park confirmed that the tree was a gift to the university. By 1937, Bastrop State Park's visitor attendance was high; it average close to 3,000 visitors a week during the summer months, according to park entrance figures provided by the CCC. Registry records show that visitors from 16 US states and from 69 Texas counties visited the park, in addition to those in the Bastrop and surrounding areas.
To booster sales, Bastrop State Park partnered with the Bastrop Chamber of Commerce in November 1948 to create custom license plates displaying the park. They launched this initiative to encourage all county drivers to display Bastrop State Park on their vehicles. There plates were available for purchase at the chamber's office in downtown Bastrop. In January 1949, funds totaling US$135,795 were approved for Bastrop State Park and three other Texas state parks: Lockhart, Blanco, and Inks Lake. At least $70,080 of it was used in Bastrop to create new buildings, improve the pool and creeks, roads and fences, create playgrounds and foot bridges, as well as other amenities. In addition to the funds received, Bastrop State Park was assessed as the second most-valued state park in Texas in May 1950 with US$502,688 (about US$6,216,018 in 2023) in appraised park equipment. In November, the Fifty-first Texas Legislature approved US$200,000 in funds for six Texas state parks, including Bastrop's. The funds were used to create campground sites; the first camp facility was made in Bastrop State Park with surplus buildings from Camp Swift, followed by Bonham, Caddo Lake, Cleburne, Fort Parker, and Lake Corpus Christi.
From 5–9 October 1950, Bastrop State Park was the site of the annual National Conference of State Parks. Approximately 400 delegates from all US states, including 100 from Texas state parks, were invited to attend. Most of the delegates from out-of-state were invited to stay at Bastrop State Park. During the sessions, they discussed for better ways to work together and affiliate with other state parks across the US. Several distinguished speakers, including Texas House of Representative speaker Homer L. Leonard, Texan folklorist J. Frank Dobie, and former Governors of Texas Allan Shivers and Pat Morris Neff, were also invited. After a weekend in Bastrop and the surrounding areas, the conference would conclude at Big Bend National Park, where US President Harry S. Truman was invited to attend. The annual conference was open to the public. A. H. Elliot, the Bastrop State Park superintendent, was responsible for the arrangements of the convention. Frank David Quinn, a member of the Texas State Parks Board, was elected president of the National Conference of State Parks during the Bastrop conference.
Modern era
In February 1962, the Texas State Parks Board announced that they were combining management operations of Bastrop State Park and the adjoining Buescher State Park for at least a year. They appointed Thurman L. Williams as the new park ranger; he had previously served as the ranger at Buescher. The former ranger of Bastrop State Park, Ranger Williams, was moved to a full-time staff manager to supervise the parks' cabins, the swimming pool, golf course, group camping areas, and all other facilities at both parks. When this decision was made, Bastrop State Park was one of the most visited state parks in Texas. It registered 157,042 attendants the year before this new management. Buescher State Park, however, had fewer accommodations and registered fewer visitors. In August, the Texas State Parks Board approved US$630,000 in funding for six state parks, including Bastrop's, and proposed a US$4,959,631 biennial budget for the Texas Legislature's consideration. The funding was mostly used for park improvements. Bastrop State Park received US$24,000 for water system improvements.
In September 1962, park officials said that attendance at Bastrop State Park was starting to have a notable reduction. They speculated that park's rundown conditions and needed repairs drove visitors to other parks with better conditions. The parks with the highest attendance were those that offered quality, overnight stay options for campers. Bastrop State Park's overnight camping grounds were not up to par with other parks. A factor for this was because Bastrop State Park was not originally built for overnight stay or to accommodate a large influx of campers. When the park was originally made, the intention was to provide picnic facilities, playgrounds, swimming pools, and other recreational areas similar to a city park. As consumer preferences changed in the 1960s, with a higher preference for camping instead of picnicking, attendance dropped at Bastrop State Park. The park later included overnight camping options but remained below par compared to other parks in the US. Moreover, the first overnight camping groups were close to picking areas, which bothered campers who preferred quieter areas and privacy.
In 1997, Bastrop State Park was awarded the National Historic Landmark status mostly due to its enduring craftsmanship and landscape work done by the CCC. It was one of the five CCC parks in the US that held this recognition.
The State of Texas purchased an additional in 1979 and another in 2000 to expand the golf course from 9 to 18 holes. Subsequent land purchases by the state in 2001 brought the park to its current size of .
On May 25, 2015, the earthen dam impounding Bastrop State Park Lake failed after hours of heavy rain in the area. The lake emptied and flooded across Texas State Highway 71. The water moved through a subdivision south of the highway and emptied into the Colorado River.
Features and amenities
Since its creation, Bastrop State Park has been a popular outdoors getaway destination for Texas residents, students from The University of Texas at Austin, and residents of the Greater Austin area. Bastrop State Park lies east of downtown Bastrop on 100 Park Road 1A and is about east of Austin, the state capital. One of the major routes of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail flows through the state park. Bastrop State Park is west of Buescher State Park, and the two are connected by Park Road 1; the road extends about and is suitable for cycling. The park has expanded in size over the years and currently has about ; its sister Buescher State Park has an additional .
The park allows for overnight stay at a campsite or a historic cabin. The campsites range from walk-in tent sites to fully hookup RV sites; their amenities include picnic tables, outdoor grills, fire rings, water hookups, tent pads, and/or amp electric hookups. There are at least fifteen historic cabins with multiple floor plans. Their amenities include central A/C and heating, private restrooms equipped with toilets and showers, indoor fireplaces, and electronics such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators, in addition to other outdoor amenities available in campsites.