Treaty Oak

It’s on Baylor between 5th and 6th.

The history of the Treaty Oak is quite possibly my favorite story of all time.

The tree was part of the Council Oaks, a grove of fourteen trees, and is the only one remaining. Native Americans believed that if a woman drank a potion made from the tree’s acorns that it would bring their men home from battle. Legend has it that Stephen F. Austin signed a treaty with the Indians under the tree in the early 1840s, hence its name.

During the 1920s, as the rest of the Council Oaks disappeared, the land on which the Treaty Oak stood was put up for sale. Fans of the tree started a campaign to save it and in 1937, the City of Austin bought the property.

The tree remained unharmed until 1989, when Paul Cullen fell in love with his psychiatrist and decided to cast a love spell on her. Somehow, perhaps because of the tree’s history with the Native Americans, he decided to try to kill it. He poisoned it with Velpar, an extremely powerful herbicide. The amount he used was enough to kill 100 trees. He was later tried for destruction of public property, was found guilty, and served nine years in prison as a result.

Now here comes my favorite part…

Everyone rallied around the tree. Leading arborists came to Austin to help it, and Ross Perot wrote a blank check to cover the costs. The experts were very pessimistic about the tree’s chances of survival.

What was most amazing was the public’s reaction. People across the country took an interest in the tree and were quite passionate about trying to save it. Buddhist monks held a vigil there, children made get-well cards, and people from all over the world sent money, sympathy cards, advice, and rosary beads, among other things.

Despite the grim predictions, the oak miraculously survived, although it did lose over 60% of its branches. In 1997, it produced its first crop of acorns since the vandalism, and 1,000 of its descendants were planted all over the state.

This story always makes me tear up, no matter how many times I read about it. I was a little girl when I first saw it—Post-Cullen, unfortunately—and I remember feeling incredibly sad when my father told me that someone had tried to kill it. I didn’t understand then why someone would want to destroy something so majestic, and I still don’t. However, once I learned more of the Treaty Oak’s history, I came to realize how much the tree has been through in its 500 years. While it’s tragic that so little of the tree is left, to me it’s a symbol of strength and survival.

I don’t know why I like this tree so much but I don’t care. ;) My boyfriend and I like to hang out under Treaty Oak and drink Big Red. We’ll probably even be married there. Heh. We’re so weird.