The Cross Timbers ecosystem in Irving was an area of great significance to the Comanche in the mid-eighteen hundreds. This particular area featured scenic views of Red Oaks, Post Oaks, prairie grass, wildflowers, acorns the women ground into a paste for food, native medicinal plants the healers used to make medicines, as well as a …Read More
While it was surprising to many historians to find Comanche Marker Trees as far east as the Trinity River, the Comanche were not surprised. The “Lords of the Plains” had not forgotten the importance of “Pih-heet Pah-e-hoona”, the Comanche name for the Trinity River; the term translates as “Three Rivers.” Gateway Park and the Trinity …Read More
Bird’s Fort Trail is an early Texas trail that was used by settlers in the mid-eighteen hundreds. The Peter’s Colony map below (courtesy of the Irving Heritage Society) shows this historic site as it was known by early travelers, including American Indians. The Comanche Indians and other tribes heavily occupied this land prior to settlement. …Read More
The California Crossing Comanche Marker Tree is a pecan, which is a native species in the Dallas area. Pecan is the state tree of Texas and it is an important food source for wildlife as well as humans. The California Crossing tree is bent at a severe angle and a significant portion of the trunk …Read More
Years ago, across the South and Southwest, it was not unusual to plant a tree in memory of a loved one, especially a child. There is a tree in Old Mobeetie in Wheeler County, Texas that is said to have been planted in memory of Sam Houston’s granddaughter, Louise Houston, who died there at the …Read More
Indigenous people have lived along the Brazos River for thousands of years. In historic times the area of present-day Waco was occupied by the Wichita Indian tribe known as the “Waco” (Spanish: Hueco). Some historians think an Indian village described by Spanish explorers in the 1500s was at the current site of the City of Waco. In 1824, Stephen Austin sent Thomas M. Duke …Read More
Located in the Southeast section of Bob Woodruff Park, Plano’s Quadri/Quincentennial Bur Oak (previously named the Bicentennial Bur Oak) is the largest, oldest known tree in North Texas. Its location in Bob Woodruff Park, referred to as a hardwood bottomland forest, is historically subject to flooding; therefore, the soil is very rich and contains sediment …Read More
The massive Half-Way Oak has been a popular rest stop providing shade and comfort for those traveling on foot, horseback, wagons, and automobiles for well over 200 years[1]. Located 13 miles south of Breckenridge on U.S. 183 at a southern Stephens County rest area, the Live Oak tree got its name from its location on …Read More
About 100 feet from the Champion Incense Cedar tree in Garland Memorial Park along South Garland Avenue once stood the majestic State Champion Shumard Red Oak. This oak was recognized in 1999 by the Texas Forest Service as the largest of its species in the area including all of Dallas, Tarrant, and eight adjoining counties. …Read More
Dr. Hammond Bouldin and his wife, Eliza, are buried in the Bouldin Family Cemetery, located in the garden of his home in Old Lawn, Texas. At one time, it was a very beautiful cemetery surrounded by an ornate iron fence. Three tombstones remain with Dr. and Mr. Bouldin’s names. The cemetery was maintained by a …Read More