Bastrop County is in Central Texas in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Bastrop. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,216. Bastrop County is included in the Austin–Round Rock, Texas, metropolitan statistical area.
History
In 1834, the provincial legislature of Coahuila y Tejas – established by the Mexican Constitution of 1824 – met in Saltillo and established the Municipality and County of Mina, consisting of parts of present-day Mason, Kimble, Llano, Burnet, Williamson, Gillespie, Blanco, Comal, Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales, Fayette, Washington, and Lavaca Counties.
On December 14, 1837, the second Congress of the Republic of Texas adjusted geographical limits to create Fayette County, and remove Gonzales and Caldwell Counties from Mina's boundaries. On December 18, 1837, Sam Houston signed acts that (a) incorporated the town of Mina and (b) changed the name of the county and town of Mina to Bastrop to honor Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early Dutch settler who helped Stephen F. Austin obtain land grants in Texas.
On May 24, 1838, the Republic of Texas added parts of Kimble and Comal Counties to contain parts of present-day Blanco, Burnet, Williamson, Travis, Hays, Comal, Caldwell, Bastrop, Lee, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties.
From January 25, 1840, to January 25, 1850, Bastrop county limits shifted nearly to its present dimensions, including small portions of Lee, Williamson, Caldwell, Gonzales, and Fayette Counties.
In December 1942, Bastrop was the site of an alleged military murder, in which Sgt. Walter Springs was gunned down by a White military police officer following a dispute. Springs was shot in the back, but the case remains largely unsolved to this day. A memorial scholarship in his honor has been active at his alma mater, Regis University, for most of the period since 1952 and has the backing of former NBA All Star Chauncey Billups.
In September 2011, Bastrop County suffered the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, which destroyed over 1,600 homes.
In March 2022, the Refuge Ranch, a facility in rural Bastrop County for girls who had been victims of sexual trafficking, was ordered closed down after allegations that the girls had been subjected to further exploitation by ranch staffers.
Climate
In general this area has a subtropical and humid maritime climate with consistently hot and dry summers, while the milder winter weather occasionally has short spans of cold temperatures. The growing season starts in early March and continues through late November, while annually this location receives 37.2 inches of average precipitation, and also on average experiences 49 days per year of at least 0.1 inches, primarily during May, June, September, and October.
Within the Texas Gulf Coast basin where Bastrop County resides, severe to extreme droughts occur at least once every 10 years (within a century of record keeping). Additionally, flash flooding due to hurricanes or slow thunderstorms are of concern, with 10-11 inches of rain within a single day being at least 1% likely.
Geography
thumb|225px|left|The Lost Pines Forest in Bastrop State Park.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.8%) are covered by water. This area resides in the Gulf Coastal Plains which has sparse topographic relief; elevations gently slope between 400-600 feet. Vegetation is primarily Post Oak savannah and woodland, Blackland Prairie, and pine hardwood forest. The unique Lost Pines Forest features loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) which require the deep, moist, acidic, sandy soil of the Carrizo Sands formation.
As for geologic formations, the most recent around floodplains and lowlands of the Colorado River (as well as larger nearby streams) are alluvium, fluviatile terrace deposits, and high gravel. Tertiary formations have sandstone, mudstone, sand, and clay running in bands from northeast to southwest, which notably also provide the critically endangered Houston Toad necessary deep sandy soil habitat. Major aquifers include the Carrizo-Wilcox, Colorado River, and Lake Bastrop, and the water system divides along US Highway 290 to separate the Colorado River and the Brazos River basins.
Wildlife
The most notable animal within Bastrop County is the critically endangered amphibian Houston Toad.thumb|The Houston Toad Otherwise the area features primarily Post Oak Savannah and pine oak woodland wildlife, with more than 200 documented species of birds as of 1996. Bastrop County is the southwestern-most area for the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), pine warbler (Dendroica pinus), and includes the western range for the Kentucky warbler (Oporornis formosus), hooded warbler (Wilsonia citrina), and Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii).
Rare species in Bastrop County tracked by the Texas Parks and Wildlife are the Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), cave myotis, Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga hylophaga), plains spotted skunk, spot-tailed earless lizard, and Texas gartersnake (T. sirtalis annectens).
Common mammals found in this county are white-tailed deer, common raccoon, striped skunk, black-tailed jackrabbit, coyote, red fox and common gray fox, bobcat, ringtail cat (Bassariscus astutus), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), fox squirrel, eastern cottontail, Mexican long-nosed armadillo. Additionally some smaller mammals found here are the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus), short tailed shrew (Blarina sp.), Attwater's pocket gopher (Geomy attwateri), white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), northern pygmy mouse (Baiomys taylori), hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus), Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), cave myotis (Myotis velifer), Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans), and the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius).
Other amphibians are the small-mouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum), cricket frog (Acris crepitans), green toad (B. debilis), Texas toad (B. speciosus), Gulf Coast toad (B. valliceps valliceps), Woodhouse's toad (B. woodhousii), eastern narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis), Great Plains Narrowmouth Toad (G. olivacea). Some frogs include the Rio Grande leopard (Rana berlandieri), bullfrog (R, catesbeiana), green (R. clamitans), southern leopard (R. sphenocephala), and both Couch's and Hurter's spadefoots (Scaphiopus couchi and hurteri). Documented treefrogs include Cope's gray (Hyla chrysoscelis), green (Hyla cinerea), and gray (H. versicolor). Chorus Frog members found in Bastrop County are the spotted (Pseudacris clarki), Strecker's (P. streckeri), and striped (P. triseriata).
The largest reptile in Bastrop County is the American alligator, while some turtles include spiny softshell, common snapping turtle, Texas map (Graptemys versa), yellow mud (Kinosternon flavescens flavescens), river cooter (P. texana), eastern box turtle, ornate box turtle, and red-eared slider. Lizards found in this county are the green anole, Texas spotted whiptail, six-lined racerunner (C. sexlineatus), eastern collared lizard, spot-tailed earless lizard, Texas horned lizard, Texas spiny lizard, fence lizard, ground skink, and tree lizard.
Many snakes are present, including broad-banded copperhead, western cottonmouth, eastern glossy snake, eastern racer, western diamondback rattlesnake, corn snake, Texas rat snake, eastern hognose snake, prairie kingsnake, common kingsnake, western coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum testaceus), Texas coral snake, rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus), bullsnake, Texas long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), mountain patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae), Texas brownsnake (Storeria dekayi), flat-headed snake (Tantilla gracilis), Checkered garter snake, orange-striped ribbonsnake (T. proximus proximus), rough gartersnake (Virginia striatula), and timber rattlesnake. Watersnakes found here are the plain-bellied, southern, and diamondback (Nerodia erythrogaster, fasciata, rhombifera).
Major predatory fish in Bastrop County are the gar, black bass, and flathead catfish, forage species are various shiners, minnows, gizzard shad, sunfish, and anglers additionally pursue largemouth bass, Guadalupe bass, channel catfish, and white crappie.
Adjacent counties
- Williamson County (north and northwest)
- Lee County (northeast)
- Fayette County (southeast)
- Caldwell County (southwest)
- Travis County (west)