The Big Tree, Rockport facts for kids

The "Big Tree", located near Rockport, Texas, is a very famous live oak tree. In 1969, it was named the "Texas State Champion Virginia Live Oak." It held this important title until 2003, when an even larger oak was found. Even so, the "Big Tree" is still one of the biggest live oak trees in the entire United States.

This amazing tree survived Hurricane Harvey, a very strong storm that hit Rockport on August 25, 2017. While the area around it was badly damaged, the "Big Tree" was mostly unharmed.

A Look Back in Time

The "Big Tree" stands near the town of Lamar, inside Goose Island State Park. During the American Civil War, Lamar was attacked and destroyed by the Union Navy. After the attack, only a few things remained: some old homes made of "shellcrete" (a type of concrete using oyster shells), a small church, and the "Big Tree."

For a long time, visiting the "Big Tree" was difficult. Before 1931, people coming from places like Corpus Christi had to drive many miles around Copano Bay to reach it. Today, it's much easier to visit, with parking right by the road. A fence keeps people from climbing on the tree, but visitors can still stand under its huge branches and see how truly massive it is.

Experts who study weather believe the "Big Tree" has lived through 40 to 50 major hurricanes. This includes Hurricane Harvey, which was a very powerful storm. It has also survived many floods, dry periods, and wildfires.

What Kind of Tree Is It?

The "Big Tree" is a type of oak called Quercus virginiana. These oak trees are also known as live oaks, southern live oaks, or Texas live oaks. You can find them growing from Texas all the way to Florida, and even north to Virginia.

The way live oaks grow and their size can change depending on where they are. The biggest ones usually grow further inland. Live oaks near the coast are often smaller. This makes the "Big Tree" extra special because it's so huge, even though it's located near the coast.

How Big Is the Big Tree?

The Texas A&M Forest Service believes the "Big Tree" is over 1,000 years old. Some other recent guesses say it might even be closer to 2,000 years old! This tree is also known as the Bishop Oak or Lamar Oak. It was one of the first trees to join the Live Oak Society. It was even featured in one of Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoons because of its amazing size. The "Big Tree" might be the oldest live oak tree still alive in the world.

This giant tree has a trunk that is more than 35 feet around. It stands over 45 feet tall, and its branches spread out about 90 feet wide.

"Champion" trees are ranked by adding up their trunk size, how wide their branches spread, and their height. The constant breeze from the Gulf of Mexico keeps the "Big Tree" from growing super tall. Because of this, there are other live oak trees that are actually taller. But when you consider how thick its trunk is, the "Big Tree" becomes the second-largest live oak in all of Texas!

Images for kids

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  Goose Island Oak (the Big Tree), Rockport, Texas