Mission Tejas State Park

Tejas Mission
The CCC built replica of Mission Tejas.
Location	Houston County, Texas
Nearest city	Crockett
Coordinates	31°32′54.3624″N 95°14′25.2852″W / 31.548434000°N 95.240357000°W / 31.548434000; -95.240357000Coordinates: 31°32′54.3624″N 95°14′25.2852″W / 31.548434000°N 95.240357000°W / 31.548434000; -95.240357000
Area	660 acres (270 ha)
Established	1957
Governing body	Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Mission Tejas State Park is a 660-acre (270 ha) state park located along Texas State Highway 21 in Houston County, Texas, originally constructed in 1935 and transferred to Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1957. The closest major town is Crockett, Texas. The park is open year-round.

Mission Tejas State Park contains several historic resources of East Texas and provides recreation for visitors. The park contains a commemorative replica of the first Spanish mission in Texas and one of the oldest surviving structures in Houston County. The park also contains a segment of the El Camino Real de los Tejas. The park provides 15 developed campsites and 2 primitive camping sites. A small pond allows visitors to fish. The park also contains approximately 4.5 miles of hiking trails.

The land for Mission Tejas State Park was purchased with contributions from the local community. Following the discovery of some Spanish artifacts in the area and an increased interest in finding the original location of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the local community sought to preserve this history. Believing this tract of land to have been the site of the original mission, the land was purchased and gifted to the State of Texas. Mission Tejas State Park was originally constructed from 1934 to 1935 by Company 888 of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC constructed the park road, camping loop, a fire watch tower, and the original trails. The park was constructed to be a part of the Texas Forest Service. It remained within the Texas Forest Service until 1957 when it was transferred to Texas Parks and Wildlife and renamed Mission Tejas State Park.

The area which now makes up the park is part of the historic settlement range of the Nabedache (or Tejas) Indians, part of the Caddo nation. The park lies just six miles from Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. The natives lived in villages stretched along San Pedro Creek and the Neches River. The park contains several known Caddo sites, but their location is not available to the public so that they may remain undisturbed.

Mission San Francisco de los Tejas was established May 23, 1690 by Captain Alonzo de Leon and Father Massanet of the Franciscan Order. The Spanish spent three days building a church and small living quarters among the Tejas villages along San Pedro Creek. Another mission, Mission Santissimo Nombre de Maria, was established along the Neches River the same year.