| Buescher State Park | |
|---|---|
 Park Lake in Buescher State Park is a favorite with anglers. | |
 | |
| Location | Bastrop County, Texas |
| Nearest city | Smithville, Texas |
| Coordinates | 30°02′19″N 97°09′30″W / 30.0387°N 97.1583°W |
| Area | 1,016.7 acres (411 ha) |
| Established | 1940 |
| Visitors | 48,935 (in 2022)[1] |
| Governing body | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |
Buescher State Park is a state park located just north of Smithville, Texas. The park consists of 1,016.7 acres (411 ha) of public land donated to the state by Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher, as well as the City of Smithville.
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Buescher State Park, Texas [Official]
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Buescher State Park after the Fires and Floods
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Buescher State Park, Texas | RV Camping And Scooter Tour
Transcription
[music] Buescher State Park's just a really special place to be because people like to come here to relax, We're not real hectic and busy like a lot of parks you might find, It’s nice and serene and quiet. [music] Here at Buescher we have a 30 acre lake, and it’s a really great size to bring the family and put in a canoe or a kayak, We have those available for rent, too, if you’d like. [music] Last year I caught the 24 inch bass here, About 2:00 o' clock, the young bass active, and then around 4:00 o'clock, big bass active. He caught a fish over there, yeah, baby catfish. These cabins are really great because it allows you to come out and have that natural experience with nature. Do you see some ducks down there? So you can have all the comforts of home while enjoying everything that we have to offer. Feathers! And they've got feathers on them? Yeah, we woke up this morning and looked out and we didn't even know the water was here til we looked out and this was all up high, it’s gorgeous! Buescher State Park has an 8 mile hiking trail, starts out in the post oak woodland, which is an area that consists mostly of hardwood trees. [Pileated woodpecker calls] You have beautiful fall color, and it makes a big loop and it goes up into the lost pines ecosystem. That’s a beautiful view from here. And it’s a great place to watch for birds! Turning! We have scenic park road 1C that connects Bastrop State Park to Buescher State Park And we have local cyclists who come out and enjoy taking that ride because it's a beautiful stretch of road with some nice challenging hills, It’s about 12 miles long in between the two parks, so if you make a round trip you’ve got 24 miles that you’ve cycled. So it’s a very good workout, very intense. [music] There’s a lot of people who’ve never come and discovered us here. We’re this hidden gem that people just don’t know about, so I would encourage everybody to come out and see what we have to offer. It’s a really nice peaceful place. [music]
History
Between the years 1933 and 1936, Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher deeded 318 acres (129 ha) of land to the State of Texas. After Emil Buescher's death, his heirs donated 318 acres (1.29 km2) more. The rest of the parkland was acquired from the city of Smithville.[2]
Companies 1805 and 1811 of the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the park facilities between 1933 and 1939 using native stone to better blend with the surrounding landscape.[2]
When it opened in 1940, the park was 1,738 acres (703 ha). In 1967, the Texas Legislature transferred 700 acres (280 ha) to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for use as a research facility, currently known as the Virginia Harris Cockrell Cancer Research Center at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Science Park).[2]
In May 1957, Buescher State Park was selected to test a new type of low-cost overnight housing for park visitors.[3]
The park is part of the Post Oak Savannah ecological region. A portion of its forest is in the Lost Pines ecosystem, the westernmost loblolly pines in the United States. A fire in 2015 burned most of the pines in this forest.[4]
Features
The park features a 7.7-mile (12.4 km) round trip hiking trail through the park's undeveloped area. There is also a small lake open for canoeing and fishing. Sunfish, catfish and bass occupy the lake year round, as well as rainbow trout during December and January when TPWD stocks them. Camping and picnicking areas are available.
Buescher is less than four miles (6 km) to the east of Bastrop State Park and the two are connected by Park Road 1.
Fauna
Over 250 species of birds have been spotted in the park throughout the year. Mammals include White-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums, bobcats, and armadillos.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Christopher Adams. "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown". KXAN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Buescher State Park History — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Buescher State Park Near Smithville Tests Park Housing". Silsbee Bee. May 23, 1957. p. 4 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ a b "Buescher State Park Nature — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
External links
- Texas Parks and Wildlife - Buescher State Park
- Buescher State Park from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Information on the Civilian Conservation Corps work on Texas State Parks
- University of Texas MD Anderson Science Park
- 1973 home movie of Buescher State Park from The Coltman Collection on the Texas Archive of the Moving Image
This page was last edited on 27 February 2024, at 20:10