Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
Explore birding habitat and take your time at observation points. Check how to get around inside the park before arrival.
Plan this stop ↗
Hidalgo County · Rio Grande Valley
Native planting and buildings at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. · Photo creditMission
Citrus stories & birding country
A place to get to know
Citrus stories & birding country
Mission is a natural choice for a Valley visit built around the outdoors. Make Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park the anchor, then use the town’s history to understand the orchards, irrigation, and settlement that transformed this landscape. A quiet morning with binoculars can be the day’s main event.
Find Mission on the map ↗Behind the placeThe story of
The story of
Mission.
Mission’s name recalls La Lomita, the chapel and settlement associated with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The modern town developed after land purchases in 1907 and the creation of a railroad stop. The post office moved to the new site in 1908, and Mission incorporated in 1910.
Irrigation made commercial farming possible on a new scale. Citrus became particularly important, with John H. Shary involved in agricultural development and irrigation infrastructure. The story of Mission joins older riverfront ranching communities to the twentieth-century farming boom. Its nearby natural areas preserve another part of the same landscape’s history.
Historical background: Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association. Original RGV Guide summary.
Make a day of itA few good
A few good
places to start.
Read Mission’s history
Follow the connections between La Lomita, the railway, and citrus agriculture.
Plan this stop ↗Check current hours, admission, accessibility, and any closures directly with each destination. Suggested outings are editorial ideas, not booked tours.
