The Big Tree

I remember the first time I saw The Big Tree as its commonly known by Texans who pay attention. I was a scrawny pre-teen back at the beginning of the 1980s and my family went to Corpus Christi on vacation.

Dad let me be his co-pilot as I was getting really good at reading maps. I asked him to take us on a slight detour so we could witness what is believed to be the state’s oldest and perhaps largest Live Oak tree.

Estimated to be around 1,000 years old, more than 45 feet tall, a crown spread of about 90 feet, and 35 feet in circumference at the trunk, it’s easy to understand why jaws dropped at its sheer size.

I remember wanting to play on its magnificent branches, which by themselves were bigger than any tree we ever had. What rambunctious boy wouldn’t? But the fence and warning signs prevented my climbing exploration. Instead, I marveled in wonder.

Remember the movie Forrest Gump when he was a kid and dangled upside down from a tree branch while playing with Jenny? That’s a Live Oak. Very majestic. And when not harvested, they can get BIG!

Well, I was afraid one of the worst storms in modern history back in 2017, Hurricane Harvey, certainly obliterated The Big Tree. The infamous category 4 storm literally parked over its home near Goose Island State Park and Rockport with sustained wind gusts up to 132mph.

How could anything survive that storm much less a tree estimated to be 1,000 years old?

But it survived.  You don’t get to be that old by being weak.

Many historians tout that The Big Tree has survived about 40 hurricanes not to mention floods, fires, winds, and major droughts. It boggles the mind.

I made another pilgrimage to see it in all its glory last autumn taking my own family to experience my childhood memory.

We picnicked in its grand shade. My wife’s egg salad sandwich satiated my appetite and put me into a food coma.

My daughters frolicked around burning steam after being cooped up for a few hours on the road. Of course, I ended up taking a nap as my tummy settled under the lukewarm steady coastal breeze and shade while the girls continued to explore.

Now, I don’t know whether I was simply dreaming during my nap or if spirits of yesteryear entered my subconscious mind. But upon awakening, I could easily recall the most vivid memories all centered around the tree. Very vivid. Only, they were not my memories from yesteryear!

As I looked around while shaking off the grogginess, I could see four different sets of people hanging around The Big Tree.

About two-thirds of the way up was a couple of young boys from the Copanes tribe, a band of the nomadic Karankawa. Don’t ask me how I knew that. Like I said, it was a very vivid dream! It must be how Copano Bay got its name. That bay is adjacent to The Big Tree on the west side of the narrow peninsula.

Anyways, the boys look mortified and tried to keep each other quiet. I could see then looking out into the distance. As I looked towards the direction that captured the boy’s gazes, I saw what appeared to be Spanish conquistadors though I could only see shining helmets and shoulder pads as they trudged through the tall Saltgrass.

I seem to remember the name Alonzo Álvarez de Pineda from my Texas History classes in junior high school. I believed he and his crew sailed the Texas coast in the summer of 1519 exploring the Aransas Bay area during their journey. Pineda is attributed to be among the first Europeans to explore the Gulf of Mexico.

But then, the better known Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on the coast about a decade later and was rumored to have trudged through the area as well.

Whatever the case may be, I can only imagine the fear and awe the young Copanes boys experienced. The tree's leafy camouflage and thick branches protected the boys from being spotted and the weapon carrying Spaniards kept walking onto the horizon.

Something caught my attention via peripheral vision, and I looked back toward The Big Tree towards the left on a low-hanging limb that was a natural seat at hip height. A boy and his sister were looking closely towards the tree limb.

As I focused on what they were marveling at, I could see what appeared to be a wayward juvenile sea turtle – must be Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, a species of turtle well known in these parts today as the world’s most endangered sea turtle.

I don’t blame them for playing with it. They must have found it on the beach nearby. Oh how I wish I could urge them to put it back to help keeps the population healthy.

The boy was holding it and his sister was talking with it. They must’ve been early Texan pioneers from the early to mid-1800’s from what I could ascertain because they were reminiscent of old family photos, which I remember seeing in my dad’s family history book.

I couldn’t hear what she was telling the turtle, but they were both smiling and giggling. I can only imagine how much joy they had back in those days – such a far cry from the Nintendo and iPad saturated world of today.

Behind the massive trunk were a couple of teens “making out.” The girls’ whale spout – the ponytail that stood up straight – and her neon colored clothing as well as lime green leggings clued me in that she was from the 1980’s era. Wow, those shoulder pads looked like she was ready to play football! And yes, now I can see Armani jeans!

The boy kissing her rocked a magnificent mullet, Ray-Bans, fishnet top, acid-washed jeans, and classic checkered Vans shoes without socks.

They quickly peered around the trunk and then took off like a bat out of hell running the other way. I could only imagine the girl’s dad was searching for her with a shotgun and posse! At the very least, they were certainly sneaking around.

I could only chuckle as I grew up in the 80s era and could easily relate. As I grinned, I then saw a couple of kids in dirty and ragged clothing squatting and peering from behind the reeds. They were brown-skinned, dark-haired and looked lost and afraid. As they spoke, it was distinctly a Spanish dialect.

The boy’s sneakers were shredded and no match to handle the oyster-crushed roads in the area. The girls were slightly better off but looked 3 or 4 sizes too big. I don’t know what they were hiding from but being somewhat close to the Mexican border, I suspected they may be illegal immigrants. I don't know for certain. But where were their parents? They looked so hungry and frail.

A tear began to well up in my eyes so I looked up at the cloudy sky.

As I looked back down, I only saw my own family enjoying their picnic.

It dawned on me that no matter whether the dream was random or came from some spirit-world, the constant throughout it all was the 1,000 some odd year history of The Big Tree.

Imagine all the things it was witness to over the past millennium.

Imagine all the experiences it persevered?

Imagine how many things it has yet to witness and experience over the next millennium assuming it survives human destruction.

I’m confident The Big Tree will continue to live through more droughts, fires, floods, storms, and such. What I’m not confident about is the increasingly callous and thoughtless nature of humanity.

Can we stop being self-centered long enough as a species to allow other species of life to continue thriving long after our demise?

Imagine I’m wrong and The Big Tree continues to thrive and survive.

Imagine, then make it happen.