The park had its beginnings on January 28, 1944, when the parents of Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Lloyd M. Bentsen Sr. and his wife Edna Ruth Bentsen, along with Elmer and Marie Bentsen, donated 586 acres (237 ha) of land to the State Parks Board for a nature habitat.[3] The park currently encompasses 764 acres (309 ha)[4]
^Carville, D. J. (June 2003). "Edinburg launches the first site of the World Birding Center". Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.
^ abcdeCombs, Susan. "State Park Profiles". Window on State Government. State of Texas. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
^Bahamón, Alejandro; Campello, Alex; Pérez, Patricia (2008). Inspired by Nature: Plants: The Building/Botany Connection. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. p. 56. ISBN978-0-393-73251-1.