Traders Oak
At that point, I was concerned that I might arrive and find that this oak was gone.
In an industrial section north of downtown Fort Worth, not far from the Tarrant County Jail, there are windowless buildings, a creepy, abandoned(?) mobile home and apartments near a downcycled plastic playground in the tiny Trader Oaks Park.
Leaving the lovely Greenwood Cemetery after locating the Turner Oak, I crossed train tracks and a part of the West Fork Trinity River heading toward the other famous oak in the area.
Being only the second tree I hunted down directly from the book, it was also before I had discovered the Famous Trees of Texas website, which confirmed that all of the trees have been accounted for, and which trees are still living.
Along with the official marker, there are several City of Fort Worth benches. I was comforted that it still has its historical designation, though it looks like an afterthought on the side of the park. Famous Trees of Texas said the park is 3 acres, but (keeping in mind my limited spatial grasp) I wonder if it might today be smaller?
Seeing an opportunity to serve soldiers at the recently established military fort the city is named for, as well as native americans that brought in furs, fruits and pecans, Henry Clay Daggett and Archibald Franklin Leonard opened one of the first trading posts under this oak in 1849 in what became Tarrant County.
Reportedly it was a favorite off-duty spot for the soldiers. Legendary Trees, which grows and sells seedlings from famous trees(!) claims that whiskey was occasionally available, which was likely a bigger draw than pecans.
This magnificent live oak, surviving without irrigation, appears quite robust with thick, low hanging branches stretching out to nearly touch the ground, much lower than the old book photo shows. The main trunk splits into two large leaders holding numerous smaller branches in a wide spread. This gives the tree a distinctive look of growth, age and wisdom. There is a large branch scar leaving a bit of a gap in the limbs on what I thought of as the back side, facing away from the playground.
Maybe because I have been hesitating, self doubting and building up the idea in my head for so long, it seemed like this moment should've somehow been more monumental.
How long, I wondered, can I (should I?) stand around admiring the organic shapes and reading the marker?
Not all that long, it turns out.
I chuckled to myself recalling that scene from the 80s movie 'Vacation' when Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo see the Grand Canyon -- staring for less than 30 seconds, then ok, let's go!
