Looking for Texas History in the Trees
These giants, some of them ancient, have silently observed more history than we could ever record.
From towering cypresses in the swamplands to venerable oaks dotting the countryside, the search for Texas' oldest trees is not unlike a fantasy epic in which the main character seeks out the knowledge of some ancient being who lives deep in the forest. That might sound silly, but there's something almost mystical about standing at the foot of a towering sentinel that has withstood the deadliest storms, witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, and sheltered generations of wildlife.
History Grows On Trees
In preservation, we aim to maintain structures and spaces of historic significance so that history may be not only told, but also seen. Trees are a little different. They are safekeepers of a history that is somehow both visible and invisible. They are a living testament to the passage of time, a physical place we can visit, and see, and touch; but to stand under their canopy is to come only so close to the many secrets they carry. We uncover some of these secrets below.
Muster Oak
The historic live oak in Fayette County stands as both a monument to fallen soldiers and the central part of a tradition that extends back to 1842.
In 1842, under the oak that still stands today, Captain Nicholas Mosby Dawson recruited about a dozen local men to join Captain Mathew Caldwell and the Texas Army at Salado Creek. Unfortunately, a Mexican cavalry unit attacked Dawson and his men en route to join Caldwell and all were killed just days after they volunteered in what would come to be known as the Dawson Massacre. Nevertheless, Caldwell ultimately triumphed over General Adrian Woll, and so it has become tradition for local men departing to defend their country to bid adieu to their sweethearts and loved ones under the gnarled limbs of Muster Oak.
Side trip: Kreische Brewery State Historic Site
Wedding Oak
Romantics will want to seek out this specimen. Nestled in the heart of Texas outside San Saba, just up the road from the Beveridge Suspension Bridge, stands a magnificent oak with a wide canopy that stretches across the road, known to locals as Marriage (or Wedding) Oak.
Before the Spanish arrived in this fertile land along the San Saba River, where native pecans grow in abundance, it's said that Native Americans would hold council meetings and unity ceremonies beneath this tree's protective branches. Centuries later, it remained a beloved meeting spot for couples to exchange vows. In 2017, the oak suffered a major loss when a limb measuring about ten feet in diameter cracked and broke off. Fortunately, the tree has survived and couples today can still visit the tree and pledge their eternal love.
Side Trip: Presidio de San Saba
Ben Milam Cypress
Legend tells the tale of a towering bald cypress tree from which a Mexican sniper, under General Martin Prefecto de Cos' command, allegedly shot and killed Benjamin R. Milam on the night of December 7, 1835.
After several months of failed attempts to take San Antonio back from the Mexican Army, failures which had left his men disillusioned and bored, Colonel Milam rallied 300 volunteers and led them on an advance into the city. This six-day offensive, what became known as the Siege of Bexar, was an ultimately successful military engagement for the Texan Army, but not one without loss. During the intense house-to-house combat, thinking he was protected by the high walls of the courtyard, Ben Milam ventured into the backyard between the Veramendi Palace and the river to confer with another commander. He didn't know that waiting in the tall cypress that overlooked the palace courtyard was a Mexican sharpshooter who, with a single shot to the head, killed Milam instantly. Milam was buried on the grounds and later moved to a cemetery on the current site of Milam Park.
This twin cypress, believed to have been a frequent vantage point for Mexican snipers targeting Texans who approached the river, can still be viewed from the Riverwalk, though the Veramendi Palace fell into disrepair and was demolished around 1910.
Side Trip: Main and Military Plazas
Sam Houston Oak
Adjacent to the 1842 Braches House, located twelve miles southeast of Gonzalez, stands a lonely but grand live oak, known as the Runaway Scrape Oak or Sam Houston Oak. On March 13, 1836, General Sam Houston and his contingent of no more than 400 Texans camped under this oak at the start of their momentous retreat from Gonzales, an event which became known as the "Runaway Scrape."
Upon receiving the news of the fall of the Alamo, Sam Houston gave the order to set fire to the town of Gonzales (to prevent Mexican forces from benefitting from its shelter and resources) and retreat. Women and children left first, followed by a rear guard of citizen-troops who kept watch behind them. The townspeople and troops trudged eastward all night until stopping to rest shortly before dawn on the property of Bartholomew D. McClure.
It was while camping here that from under the great oak Houston rallied his soldiers, declaring that those who saw fit to stay behind must suffer the consequences. He dispatched retreat orders to Fannin in Goliad and devised a strategy to lure Santa Anna into dividing his forces, then continued east to the Brazos and then south to engage Santa Anna in the decisive Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836—just 46 days after the fall of the Alamo.
Santa Anna is also said to have camped under this same oak with his men just three weeks after Sam Houston was there.
Side Trip: Gonzales Memorial Museum
Las Cuevas Ebony
On the north bank of the Rio Grande River at the U.S.-Mexico border, just outside the tiny village of Los Ebanos and past the ghostly abandoned buildings that once populated the area, stands a giant Texas ebony that anchors the last hand-drawn ferry in the United States.
Long before the hand-drawn ferry was licensed by Hidalgo County in 1852, this river crossing was an important ford used by early Spanish colonists, Indigenous Peoples, smugglers, Texas Rangers, American troops, and even a U.S. president.
Originally known as Las Cuevas Crossing due to the many caves that dot the nearby hills, Spanish colonists once used this ford to reach La Sal del Rey, in present-day Edinburg, where they filled their wooden carts with salt rock and returned to Mexico. In 1846, General Zachary Taylor's army marched up from Fort Brown to this crossing point to begin their invasion into Mexico. Later that century, it was the site of several violent skirmishes between Texas Rangers and Mexican cattle smugglers. Then, during Prohibition, the name was informally changed to Smuggler's Crossing due to its frequent use by tequiladores who snuck bootleg liquor across the river.
Finally, in 1950, a U.S. Inspection Station was built at the ancient ford and a hand-drawn automobile ferry was established. Still in operation just outside of Los Ebanos, the ferry can fit three cars and requires 4-5 people to hand-pull the ferry across the river using the rope that's hitched to the legendary ebony tree.
Big Tree
No list of Texas' legendary trees is complete without mention of Big Tree, otherwise known as Bishop's Tree, Goose Island Oak, Lamar Oak, or the once-largest live oak in Texas, located in Goose Island State Park in Brazoria County.
Measuring 421 and a quarter inches in circumference, 44 feet tall, with a crown spread of 89 feet, this majestic coastal live oak is estimated to be around 1,100 years old. From ceremonial rituals held there by the native Karankawas to the exploits of Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca (or so the legends go), this tree has been witness to more than a little Texas history. Though the giant was usurped as the largest live oak in Texas in 2016 by another located on private property in Colorado County, no one standing before it would doubt its supremacy over most if not all trees across Texas.
Mapping the Trees
Looking for a deep dive?
Many of the pictures and research used in this post were sourced from Famous Trees of Texas, which was first published in 1970 by the Texas Forest Service (now Texas A&M Forest Service). The most recent edition, published in 2015 for the 100th anniversary of the Texas Forest Service, features 54 of the original 81 trees (27 have died since the first edition was published) and some newly rediscovered trees! Use the link below to view the free and interactive story map.