Buescher State Park
Encyclopedia
Buescher State Park is a state park
located just north of Smithville, Texas
. The park consists of 1016.7 acres (411 ha) of public land donated to the state by Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher, as well as the City of Smithville.
. After Emil Buescher's death, his heirs donated 318 acres (1.3 km²) more. The rest of the parkland was acquired from the city of Smithville.
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.
When it opened in 1940, the park was 1738 acres (703.3 ha). In 1967, the Texas Legislature
transferred 700 acres (283.3 ha) to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
for use as a science park research facility.
and fishing
. The lake is stocked with crappie
, catfish
and bass
year around and with rainbow trout
in winter. 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 a scenic park road.
s include White-tailed deer
, raccoon
s, opossums, bobcat
s, and armadillo
s.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located just north of Smithville, Texas
Smithville, Texas
Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. The population was 3,901 at the 2000 census. The population grew to an estimated 4,339 for 2004.-History:...
. The park consists of 1016.7 acres (411 ha) of public land donated to the state by Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher, as well as the City of Smithville.
History
Between the years 1933 and 1936, Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher deeded 318 acres (128.7 ha) of land to the State of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. After Emil Buescher's death, his heirs donated 318 acres (1.3 km²) more. The rest of the parkland was acquired from the city of Smithville.
Companies 1805 and 1811 of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
built many of the park facilities between 1933 and 1939 using native stone to better blend with the surrounding landscape.
When it opened in 1940, the park was 1738 acres (703.3 ha). In 1967, the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
transferred 700 acres (283.3 ha) to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the nation's original three comprehensive cancer centers established by the National Cancer Act of 1971. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in...
for use as a science park research facility.
Features
The park features a 7.7 miles (12.4 km) round trip hiking trail through the park's undeveloped area. There is also a small lake open for canoeingCanoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
. The lake is stocked with crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
and bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
year around and with rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
in winter. Camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and picnicking areas are available.
Buescher is less than four miles (6 km) to the east of Bastrop State Park
Bastrop State Park
Bastrop State Park is a state park in Bastrop County in central Texas. The park was established in 1938 and consists of stands of Loblolly Pines mixed with Post Oak and junipers.-History:...
and the two are connected by a scenic park road.
Fauna
Over 250 species of birds have been spotted in the park throughout the year. MammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s include White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, opossums, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, and armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
s.