(CNN) — In May 1989, a bizarre murder attempt in Austin, Texas, gripped the nation and made worldwide news. The details of the case were unusual, and unlike anything police had seen before. The victim? Austin’s oldest resident, a nearly 600-year-old tree known as Treaty Oak.
Treaty Oak is a spectacular specimen. It is centuries older than the city it resides in and stretches out to a spread of nearly 100 feet. In the 1920s, the American Forestry Association named the Treaty Oak the most perfect specimen of a tree in North America. And thanks to a citywide fundraiser in the 1930s, the tree even owns the park it lives on.
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I saw this tree in August of 1989, right after the attempted poisoning. To say this thing is huge doesn't do it justice. Easily a 100 ft. square, and at least that tall. They put up netting to cover the whole tree, and had misters going off about every half hour to keep it cool, or moist, I guess. They wrapped most of the heavy limbs in some sort of paper wrapping. I remember everybody was upset about it happening, and at the time they thought it was just some crazed eco-nut that was trying to make a statement. The truth was even stranger than that. I went back in 2007, and couldn't find it again, (too much construction going on) and a friend that lives in Austin told me he thought it had died. I am seriously happy to know that it survived. I guess I'm going to have to make another ride down there to check it out. They said Sam Houston use to sign treaties with the indians underneath the tree. If I had that in my backyard, I'd be in heaven.
ReplyDeleteI remember when this happened. I had just graduated from school in Austin and worked in South Texas. This was talked about forever. Turned out some druggie loser did it for attention. The article mentioned witchcraft or something, but from what I remember he was just a loser.
ReplyDeleteThere's several giant oak trees in Texas to go see. New Braunfels has one in Landa Park, there's another really big one down by Rockport/Fulton area. Really neat to see something that old and big.
Wasn't too long ago I was told that murder was only for people, something-something about equal and more equal animals I guess.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall ever seeing this oak but there are a few huge oaks like it out here in the deep forest. Some of them are 5-6' wide at the trunk, maybe more. One split in my back yard and I need a bigger chainsaw before I can remove the rest of it. It saw a lot of use with robe climbing, tree stands, burial site for pets, shade, even Indians probably sat under it a few times. It either got too much rain or the wind split it.
It will be succeeded by a sapling growing by the base of the trunk.
-arc