[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 137 (Thursday, September 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TWO MIGHTY OAK TREES: SYMBOLS OF THIS GREAT STATE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 15, 2011

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my grandfather, Theodore Otto Herman 
Hill, or ``Thunderhead'' as he was more appropriately known, was a 
hunter, a taxidermist and a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist. He was the 
frontiersman type. He could tell the type of tree by looking at the 
bark or observing the leaves. He predicted the weather by watching the 
actions of animals. He found and collected arrowheads on his land in 
central Texas. His love of nature was impressed on me as a child.
  Being born near where Texas independence was declared, Washington-on-
the-Brazos, he told me many stories of famous Texas trees. Two trees in 
particular stand out in my mind.
  In Gonzales, Texas, stands the ``Sam Houston Oak.'' This tree was 
made famous 175 years ago this month during the War for Texas 
Independence. Before towns were settled, unusual or gigantic trees were 
often used as landmarks for people to gather under to worship, to hear 
campaign speeches or to prepare for battle.
  William Barrett Travis and 187 volunteers sacrificed their lives on 
the altar of freedom after 13 glorious days at the Alamo. Sam Houston 
and his boys regrouped with Seguin and his company of Tejanos at this 
mighty oak. This tree became a rendezvous place for the new Texas 
Volunteers to organize and to later fight dictator Santa Anna.
  The ``Sam Houston Oak'' site is considered by most historians as the 
beginning of the ``road to San Jacinto'' taken by General Sam and his 
ragtag bunch of freedom fighters on April 21, 1836, in the final battle 
for independence along the marshy banks of the San Jacinto River. 
Today, a historical marker along St. Louis Street in Gonzales 
recognizes this historical tree.
  Another tree my outdoorsman grandfather told me about was the 
``Treaty Oak.'' The Treaty Oak is an immortal symbol of Texas history 
that holds a special place in the hearts of all Texans. It is more than 
500 years old. The Treaty Oak was a place of worship for the Comanches 
and Tonkawa Indians. The story goes that Stephen F. Austin signed the 
first boundary treaty with the Indians under the Treaty Oak, which is 
located in downtown Austin.
  The Treaty Oak has endured multiple threats throughout its life. In 
1920, the land that the Treaty Oak lives on was put up for sale, and 
the tree was almost cut down. There was a massive outcry to save the 
Treaty Oak. Texans felt a loyalty to this tree and so in 1947, the city 
of Austin purchased the land so that the Treaty Oak could remain 
untouched as a historic treasure for the state of Texas forever.
  Back in 1989, a criminal by the name of Paul Cullen poisoned the 
great tree. In some sinister deliberate effort to kill the great tree, 
Cullen poisoned it with enough pesticides to kill a hundred trees. And 
as most outlaws do, he bragged about his crime, resulting in his swift 
arrest and incarceration. He was charged with felony criminal mischief.
  Of course, I promptly volunteered to try that case while I was still 
a judge in Houston. Although I didn't get to hear the case, a jury of 
12 tree-loving Texans in Austin found him guilty and sentenced the 
culprit to nine years in prison for trying to kill the mighty oak. The 
nation was stunned that Texans would send a person to prison for so 
long for ``just'' trying to kill a tree. But this wasn't any old tree. 
This tree was a symbol of Texas.
  Amazingly, the Treaty Oak survived the attack, and her survival has 
astonished cynics who predicted the tree would certainly die. While she 
may not stand as mighty as before, she continues now to be a new symbol 
of Texas perseverance, ruggedness and determination.
  Two mighty oaks of Texas . . . symbols of no place but Texas.
  And that's just the way it is.

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