How Treaty Oak Got Its Name:
The name Treaty Oak is derived from a legend that Stephen F. Austin signed a boundary treaty there with local Indians in the 1800s.Location of the Treaty Oak:
Treaty Oak Park is on Baylor Street in between 5th and 6th Streets, just West of Lamar Blvd.Historical Significance of the Treaty Oak:
Believed to be over 500 years old, the Treaty Oak was one of fourteen trees known as the Council Oaks. Native Americans of the area worshipped among the Council Oaks, held feasts, religious ceremonies, and other meetings. Although undocumented, legend says that Stephen F. Austin signed a boundary treaty here after Indians killed two small children and a county judge, thus giving the Treaty Oak its name.Development of the City of Austin eventually led to the demise of the other Council Oaks until only the Treaty Oak remained. It too was in danger of being cut down to make way for urban growth. It was saved from the woodpile in the 1920s and listed as a historic U.S tree by the American Forestry Association. In 1937 the City of Austin purchased the plot of land where the tree stands.
Tragically, in 1989 a deliberate poisoning destroyed much of the Treaty Oak. Intensive efforts to save the Treaty Oak were successful and although it is still a shadow of its former 127 foot spread, by 1997 it had produced its first new crop of acorns since the poisoning. Wood salvaged from the tree after the vandalism was fashioned into works of art and items for sale to the public such as pens and clocks. Proceeds from the sale of these items funded tree planting in Austin.