Vintage Austin: The Treaty Oak

This Vintage Austin photo features Austin’s most famous tree, the Treaty Oak. The Treaty Oak is the last surviving live oak of the Council Oaks, a cluster of 14 trees that legend says was a meeting place for the Comanche and Tonkawa Indians to negotiate peace terms. More than 2/3 of the tree was lost in 1989 after a man intentionally poisoned it, but it’s since recovered (thanks to a group of arborists & Ross Perot) and still stands majestically downtown on Baylor Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets.

To learn more about the Treaty Oak, watch this episode of Discover Austin, all about the famous tree

Photo credit: Austin History Center, PICA 06970