History of Austin

Here's the history behind Austin's most famous tree — legendary Treaty Oak

"Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."

Photo courtesy of Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Majestically standing on a small downtown lot on Baylor Street, sandwiched between Fifth and Sixth streets, is a Southern live oak tree known as Treaty Oak. The tree is the only surviving member of the original 14 Council Oak trees that bore witness to meetings between Tonkawa and Comanche tribe members and the father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin.

Legend has it that leaves of Treaty Oak, along with acorns from the tree, were brewed into tea by females of Native American tribes to promote the safe return when warriors returned from battle. The tea was also brewed as part of a superstitious belief promoting fidelity in unions among members of the tribe. Beneath the limbs of the Council Oaks, dances were performed, war councils commenced, conferences were held, and pacts and treaties were signed. It is also said that Sam Houston contemplated his future under the shade of the oak tree after he was ousted as the governor of Texas.

Treaty Oak, the last remaining tree of the Council Oaks, obtained national status as the most perfect example of a North American tree and was entered into the National Forestry's Hall of Fame in 1927. During a period in the late 19th century, Treaty Oak was privately owned by a local family. The City of Austin purchased the tree for $1,000 in 1927. The tree is accessible to the public, and there is a plaque summarizing the history of Treaty Oak on the Baylor property.

Modern-day poisoning
March 2, 1989, typically a day of celebration as it is Texas Independence Day, became a day that Austinites recall with sorrow. It was the day when a group of people gathering around Treaty Oak for a tree meeting noticed dead grass and sick leaves on and around the base of the tree. Initially it was assumed that a city worker had been negligent and applied too much chemical to the tree, but after subsequent observation and testing, it was revealed that the tree had been intentionally poisoned with the herbicide Velpar.

In fact, enough Velpar was used to kill 100 trees. Austinites rallied in outrage; groups gathered to hug the tree and ward off evil spirits; and, most beneficial, a blank was check written by Ross Perot, along with a $10,000 reward offered by DuPont, the manufacturer of Velpar.

No lead was too small to follow, but ultimately the vandal, Paul Cullen, was identified after telling friends that he had poisoned the tree to "cast a spell" to kill his unrequited love for a counselor he met at a methadone clinic. Local and statewide news teams followed the story on a daily basis, vigils were held, yellow ribbons were placed around the tree, and children wrote get-well letters for the tree. Psychics descended on the city and chanted a "transference of energy," hoping the tree would shed its toxins and begin to heal.

Paul Cullen eventually served a nine-year prison sentence for his act. Cullen died in 2001 at the age of 57.

A Treaty Oak Task Force made up of local and national arbor professionals was formed to identify strategies to save the beloved piece of Austin history. Michael Embesi, community tree preservation manager with the City of Austin, was a student in Austin when Treaty Oak was poisoned and remembers the community rallying together to save this iconic piece of history.

Embesi has worked with the city tree program for 20 years and frequently consults with developers in incorporating trees into project designs satisfying all parties involved. He said our community passed the first tree protection ordinance in the country in 1983, and now there are literally thousands of similar programs across the country, 100 of these programs are in the state of Texas. And certainly Austin is growing rapidly, but Embesi believes that trees are part of the attraction for businesses when they decide to locate to Austin. "Trees are like us," Embesi adds, "they acclimate to their environment just as we do."

Most consulting arbor experts had predicted that Treaty Oak would not survive, and defying all odds Treaty Oak did survive. Moreover, in 1997 the tree began to produce acorns. Although approximately two-thirds of the tree did not recover from the incident, limbs were treated, some dead limbs were removed and made into products for fundraising, and saplings were sold and planted across the city as a reminder of the once majestic oak that stood as a testament to history and survivorship.

One of the best-known saplings is planted on the plaza of the grounds at Austin City Hall and stands as a witness to history. "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow" is more than just an expression, it is a way of life for many Austinites.

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San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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