The Treaty Oak has long been a popular part of Austin’s local culture and lore. The famous tree is the last surviving member of the Council Oaks, originally a grove of 14 that served as a sacred meeting place for Comanche and Tonkawa Tribes. This historical landmark is estimated by experts to be about 500 years old and at one time had branches had a spread outward of 127 feet. In recognition, the American Forestry Association proclaimed it as the most perfect specimen of a North American tree, and inducted the Treaty Oak into its Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. The tree is located in Treaty Oak Park, on Baylor Street between 5th and 6th Streets.
The Treaty Oak today, although vast and majestic in size, is only a portion of what it once was. In 1989, the tree was deliberately poisoned with a powerful herbicide. Lab tests showed the quantity of used was enough to kill 100 trees. The incident gained national attention including that of Texan and former Reform Party candidate for U.S. President, Ross Perot who wrote a ‘blank check’ to fund efforts to save the tree. In addition DuPont, the manufacturer of the herbicide that was used, offered a $10,000 reward to capture the vandal. Paul Cullen, was apprehended after reportedly bragging about poisoning the tree. He was convicted of felony criminal mischief and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Intensive efforts were undertaken to save the tree, and although arborists expected the it to die, the Treaty Oak survived. However, almost two-thirds of the tree died and more than half of its crown had to be pruned