[4] 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.

[6] 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.

[5] When the CCC expressed interest in transforming the local pine forest area, several residents of Bastrop and Smithville donated about 2,100 acres (850 hectares) of land to the state government.

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.

[10] 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.

The NYA built and used a maintenance building to construct furniture for the CCC to use for several Texas state parks, including Bastrop's.

[13] Once completed and opened to the public, Bastrop State Park received national recognition due to its natural landscapes and architectural displays.

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 20 in (51 cm) in diameter to the university.

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.

[23] After a weekend in Bastrop and the surrounding areas,[25] the conference would conclude at Big Bend National Park, where US President Harry S. Truman was invited to attend.

[33] A factor for this was because Bastrop State Park was not originally built for overnight stay or to accommodate a large influx of campers.

[34] 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.

[citation needed] On May 25, 2015, the earthen dam impounding Bastrop State Park Lake failed after hours of heavy rain in the area.

[36][38] One of the major routes of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail flows through the state park.

[52] In January 2015,[52] Bastrop State Park closed the golf course due to financial struggles but expressed plans to repurpose the land for recreation.

These facilities would include an education center on the ecology of the Lost Pines and the endangered Houston toad, new picnic sites, natural playscapes, and a restored lake.

[53] The golf course's closure was not favorably received by some Bastrop residents, who said that the course was an amenity that attracted visitors and added to the park's beauty.

Required repairs to the golf course's irrigation system and the high costs to protect the endangered Houston toad hindered the course's viability.

Additionally, a vast majority of Bastrop residents, roughly around ninety percent, said in a parks study that year that they were interested in more trails and outdoor programs.

Considering that the TPWD had a backlog of US$800 million in repairs when Bastrop State Park submitted the proposal, this considerably delayed the golf course renovation.

This pine woodland is isolated from the main body of East Texas Piney Wood ecoregion by about 100 miles (160 km), hence its name.

In the winter season, other bird species can be found as well, including the red-breasted nuthatch, solitary vireo, golden-crowned kinglet, purple finch, and the hermit thrush.

[64] There are also over 280 insects, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, mollusks, and worms species recorded in Bastrop State Park and the surrounding Lost Pines region.

[65] The seasonally moist sandy soil in Bastrop State Park and the entire Lost Pines provide a critical habitat for the endangered Houston toad.

[citation needed] Bastrop State Park is located on Mount Selman geological formation, making a lot of its soil have a dark red and yellow composition.

Officials said that the fire was likely caused by cigarettes left by hunters who were at Bastrop State Park for the deer hunting season, which had opened for the first time in several years.

[68] In early 1954, a fire was reported on the eastern edge of Bastrop State Park, damaging about 2,000 acres (810 ha) of forest.

However, the record-high temperatures of the summer and shifting wind currents prolonged the fire for over a week, causing the flames to spread out of control.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, Bastrop fire fighters, and highway patrol units joined the firefighting efforts that evening.

[79] In addition, bulldozers and heavy road equipment from the Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin were sent to help fight the fire.