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Historic
Trees of Texas THE
GOOSE ISLAND OAKaka
The Big Tree
aka The Bishop's Tree
aka The Lamar OakGoose
Island State ParkAransas
County
12 Miles North of Rockport
On park Road 13 – very near the beach |
The
Big Tree AKA The Goose Island Oak
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine,
2006 |
| Record
or Champion Trees are determined by their girth, their spread and their height.
There are many Live Oaks that surpass this tree's height, however when the tree's
girth is factored in, it makes this one the Champion Live Oak in Texas. |
Texas'
largest tree is found on the Lamar Peninsula within the Goose Island
State Park just off highway 35 before you reach the Copano Causeway (if you’re
coming from the north). Signage will direct you, but the signs are close to the
ground and infrequent.
The
tree has allegedly been a hanging tree, a pirate's rendezvous, and even a ceremonial
site for the cannibalistic Karankawa Indians. |
"Largest
Loveoak of the World, Rockport,
Texas."
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
The tree has disappointed generations of Texans who often feel that their
Live Oak back home is bigger – or at least taller. They may be right. Determining
a record tree involves three measurements: the spread of the crown, the circumference
and the height. An overall score is reached by these factors, and according to
the experts – this one is the winner.
In the case of the Goose Island Oak,
the factor least argued about is the tree’s massive girth. According to the book
Famous Trees of Texas, the tree’s circumference was recorded at 42 3/4 inches
in 1966. The crown was 44 feet high and the spread was 89 feet.
The tree
is naturally linked to anyone remotely connected to the coast – from a meeting
place of the rude Karankawas to Cabeza de Vaca and LaSalle.
The estimated
age of the tree is 1,000 years old. Although a core sample has not been taken,
it shouldn’t be too long until technology allows for a reliable determination
of the tree’s age. |
The
Goose Island Oak
TE Photo, August 2003 |
| Estimated
to be 1,000 years old, the tree can disappoint visitors who had been imagining
a Giant Sequoia. Our tip for visitors who don't want to be disappointed: Don't
visualize Giant Sequoias. |
The
trees immediately to the right (East) of the Big Tree
TE Photo, August 2003
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While the tree has
had its immediate neighbor’s thinned-out over the years, enough of the trees younger
cousins have survived to give an idea of how the mott appeared in the past. The
unusual branching pattern is a result of the near-continuous gulf breeze.
The Goose Island State Park allows an opportunity for observing the
migratory whooping cranes and deer abound in the thickets.
While visiting
the tree, you might consider visiting the picturesque Lamar
Cemetery - shown on detailed TxDoT maps. Lamar
was a town named after the Republic of Texas' second President that held great
promise in the 1830s. Lamar is included in More Ghost Towns of Texas by T.
Lindsey Baker, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003.
The state's second
largest Live Oak is in Columbus,
Texas. |
Directions:
Leaving Fulton,
heading N and crossing over the Copano Bay bridge, the first right will be Park
Road 13. This will connect with Lamar Beach Road that can take you to the tree.
Signage is adequate for finding your way there after leaving Highway 35, and depending
on the time of day or the season, you may encounter deer on the narrow, densely
shaded and flowered road.
©
John Troesser |
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