- NARRATOR: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota--Let's Go Places.

Coming up on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - It is a magnificent tree.

Again, you get to this part of the trail and you can't help really but to just stop in awe.

- Caddo Lake is a really special place to visit.

It's a place unlike any other within the state.

- I thought it was too good to be true.

You get to live in a beautiful place, be a part of something bigger than yourself.

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks & Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[crow cawing] - NARRATOR: Former Texas Governor, James Hogg's dying wish was for a tree.

Before he passed away in 1906, he told his loved ones that he wanted a pecan tree to be planted at the head of his grave.

He wanted the nuts to be given to the people of Texas with the dream of making the state a land of trees.

[shovels thudding] Honoring Hogg's request, the State Horticultural Society planted two pecan trees at the head of his grave.

In time, their nuts were distributed across the state.

In 1919, the pecan tree became so popular that it was named the State Tree of Texas.

- INTERPRETER: 250 to 300 years old, that's how old this tree is.

- NARRATOR: Trees connect us in many ways, we gather under them seeking their shade on a hot day.

We admire them for their beauty.

We see them as a link to the past and hope for the future.

Every tree tells a story and some of them have great stories to tell.

Our Texas state parks contain many remarkable trees.

Three of them have risen to such a level of historical importance that they have been officially registered among the Famous Trees of Texas.

These are their stories.

[guitar music] In South Texas, there's a very special kind of tree that isn't commonly found much farther north than the town of Goliad.

[guitar music] - It's called an anacua, it's A-N-A-C-U-A, sometimes, A-N-A-Q-U-A, its nickname is the sandpaper tree and it gets that nickname because the leaves are very rough like sandpaper.

It's very likely that they were using these leaves as sandpaper back when the mission was active.

Imagine using leaves to do all this work.

- NARRATOR: The Spanish began colonizing South Texas in the late 1600s and they built missions to convert natives to Christianity and to deter the French.

In 1749, they settled Mission Espiritu Santo in what is now Goliad.

- The Spanish built quite a few missions and presidios.

Their main goal for these missions and presidios was to keep the land in Spain's name, don't let it fall to anybody else.

- NARRATOR: The mission shut down in 1830 after Mexico gained independence from Spain.

But as the abandoned buildings fell into disrepair, an anacua tree sprouted from the ruins.

[gentle wind] A century later, the land was now part of the United States, which was in the midst of the Great Depression.

The Civilian Conservation Corps had recently been created to provide young, unemployed men with jobs.

One CCC unit was dispatched to Goliad to rebuild the missions for a new state park.

- EMILY: What we see today, most of that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

- NARRATOR: The CCC planned to rebuild the mission, but something had to be done about the Goliad anacua that was now a large, mature tree growing out of the ruins.

- EMILY: Rather than cutting it down, it did have to move, it was in the way of their work, so they needed to move it one way or another.

- NARRATOR: Architect, Raiford Stripling, who was leading the CCC effort to rebuild the mission, later commented, "I couldn't stand to cut that tree."

He decided to save it.

- So they dug an 18-foot diameter root ball and dragged that tree from its original location to where it is today.

That's a massive undertaking to move a mature tree like that.

They undertook those massive efforts just to save the tree's life.

[lively jazz music] It lived, so that was incredible in itself and now it's kind of like a centerpiece to the mission.

It's history, it's recognition as something beautiful that we wanted to save.

We're super grateful to the CCC that they did take the huge extra mile of saving this tree.

[soft orchestral music] [upbeat music] - NARRATOR: Rising to 103 feet, Old Baldy stands as a stately beauty along Austin's Onion Creek in McKinney Falls State Park.

This bald cypress tree serves as a home for birds and bees and an object of fascination for all who see it.

- So Old Baldy is this awesome giant behind me.

This tree is actually about 550 years old, the oldest tree we have in the park, actually one of the oldest trees in the state of Texas.

- NARRATOR: Bald cypress trees are a member of the redwood family and like their West Coast cousins, they can get pretty big.

- LAUREN: Its widest point around its base is actually about 16 feet, so if you could imagine going to hug Old Baldy, that would be a pretty big hug.

And watch your heads as we're coming in.

- NARRATOR: Old Baldy grows near the park's rock shelter overhang, where evidence of human habitation goes back 8,000 years.

From the late 1600s to the early 1800s, a portion of El Camino Real de los Tejas ran through this area.

Travelers of these trails and trade routes could find shade and shelter under the towering bald cypress trees that grew along Onion Creek.

- In the year 1716, there was actually a Franciscan priest, that was traveling through this area and we have written record that he actually did make a note of Old Baldy in his diary.

It's pretty wild to think about that was over 300 years ago now.

- NARRATOR: Today, a trail and footbridge lead visitors to Old Baldy.

- LAUREN: You guys can see Old Baldy here in front of us.

Old Baldy has seen a lot of changes.

This tree has actually seen more visitors since the park opened about 50 years ago than it had in its entire life before then.

We are within city limits of Austin, Texas, which is a very quickly growing city, so it's really great to know that Old Baldy is protected in our park here.

[birds chirping] It is a magnificent tree.

Again, you get to this part of the trail and you can't help really but to just stop and look up in awe and just take a few moments to appreciate Old Baldy.

[soft music] [wind blowing] - NARRATOR: The Texas Gulf Coast is beautiful, but it can also be deadly.

[thunder rumbling] [soft piano music] When Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport in August 2017, Texans lost their homes and some even lost their lives.

After the storm hit, many worried about one long-time resident of Goose Island State Park.

[soft music] Over the centuries, a very special live oak has spread its crown over a patch of coastal prairie.

- People come into town to visit Rockport, they're here for the beaches mostly, but they'll start asking around like, "Hey, what else is there to do in Rockport?"

You're probably going to hear about the Big Tree, "Go see the Big Tree."

[soft dramatic music] It's a live oak tree, Quercus Virginiana.

Just looking at it, you kind of are in awe.

- NARRATOR: The tree stands 44-feet tall with an 89-foot crown spread.

The circumference of the trunk is 35 feet.

It's one of the biggest live oaks in the state and nation.

- To come here and see it in person is just completely different than seeing a picture of it.

You think, "Oh yeah, it's just a tree."

But it's not.

People in Rockport know this tree and love it.

- NARRATOR: Its gnarled branches are supported by braces and cables.

A lightning rod protects it during thunderstorms.

Over the centuries, it has survived destructive hurricanes, fires, war and ever-spreading coastal settlement.

It has seen the coming and going of Native Americans, European explorers and Texas settlers.

- I think people can learn from it.

In 2017, we had Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport and that really was a huge hit to the economy, to the town itself and I think if they come here and see that the Big Tree survived that, it just kind of reinforces that thought in them, "Like okay, I can do this."

- Quite honestly, when I was younger, it was just an old tree, but through some of our experiences here in Lamar and becoming part of the community, it's kind of burned in my heart now.

Harvey was a Cat 4, it was just catastrophic to our oak tree population.

The roads were just covered with debris and the question on everybody's mind is, "Is the Big Tree still standing?"

I still remember the radio call across the fire net, "Big Tree still standing, Big Tree still standing."

[laughing] - It was quite desolate looking, but it was here.

- Yes.

- My husband and I started dating in 1961.

This is one of the first places we came to, so every time we get to Rockport, we come to see the Big Tree to see how the girl is doing.

I say she's a girl.

[laughing] When you're first dating, there's lots of things that you think about and so this is one of the first things that we actually went to see together.

You didn't know you were coming to see all this, did you?

- KENNETH: What do you remember about it?

When did you first see it?

- Probably in the late 1960s.

- It's a certificate of authenticity of the Big Tree.

When they put these out, it was kind of a donation to fund the restoration and upkeep of the Big Tree.

Every summer, we'd come down here to stay at Goose Island State Park, because my dad loved to fish and we spent a lot of time down here over the years.

Back before this fence was here, I remember climbing up in the Big Tree.

I just felt real enamored with this tree for how old it is, how long it's been around.

It's really something.

[chuckles] It still looks the same as it did 50-something years ago, but it's still growing.

- Hi!

Yeah.

- SARA: The Big Tree is definitely something you have to see if you're in the Rockport area, if you're coming through Lamar, if you see Goose Island, definitely come to the Big Tree.

It's great to see.

[guitar music] - NARRATOR: Here in Texas, our legendary trees stand tall.

They help us remember our roots.

They can grace us with their natural beauty and fill us with awe.

They inspire us to tap into our own resilience and strength when facing life's storms.

Trees are our common heritage.

They bring us together and they are something to cherish, honor and protect.

Every tree in Texas has a story, so next time you pass one by, stop and spend some time with it.

One day, it too may be one of our Famous Trees of Texas.

Celebrating a century of Texas State Parks.

[blues music] ♪ Well, well ♪ [blues music] - BRANDON LOPES-BACA: You know, Caddo Lake State Park, it's the only area in Texas that you can find this environment, this habitat.

[blues music] There's not a lot of people out here to where it's gonna be crazy!

You can really get out here and just recharge your soul.

[music] - Caddo Lake State Park is the gateway to Caddo Lake.

We are located four miles upriver on Big Cypress Bayou.

And Caddo Lake is special because it is the largest naturally formed lake here in Texas.

And it was formed around the year 1800 when water from Big Cypress Bayou tried to merge with the Red River, but met a giant log jam called the Great Raft.

[blues music] - BRANDON: We are a Civilian Conservation Corp. park.

July 4th, 1934 is when the park officially opened for public use.

- KELSEY: The first thing you see as you drive into the park are iconic pillars that were built back in the 1930s and are still standing today.

And as you drive through the park, you'll see the cabin area.

Those were the cabins that the CCC lived in when they were building this park, as well as the rec hall, which is where they would have had their meals.

So, there is a little bit of magic from the CCC left all over this park.

[laughter] - BRANDON: There's nothing that's gonna be too hardcore as far as the trails go.

Their pretty standard, a couple uphill here and there.

So, you can come out here with your family and just be out here for a couple hours on the trails and enjoy yourselves!

- KELSEY: Park programs are a really great way to get your kids involved in nature.

And you just want to tap it on the bottom.

[water gurgles] So, nice good one!

- KID: Oh, that's cool!

- KELSEY: The kids are getting to experience it for themselves, really get to explore at their own pace, and just see what's out there.

- KID: Ohhhhh!

- KELSEY: It's called a Cricket frog, and they'll get bigger than this, these are just real little ones.

- KID: Oh, can I hold one of them!

- Yes, critters, and mud and all that stuff-- that is their favorite thing probably ever.

I want my kids to actually come and physically put their hands into the water, to see the creatures up close.

[woodpecker knocking] It's not just something they know about in their head but something they feel in their heart.

What did you think, is it fun!

- KID: Yeah!

[blues music] - VELMA COWLING: I love it here!

Oooh!

This is my home!

- Mmmmmm, hmmm.

I hope I catch em, cause he's pretty good size.

- Oh honey, I just enjoy being here.

Yeah, have some me time, for sure.

- Oh, I got something!

Oh!

Oh, I can fish a little bit!

[laughing] - VELMA: When I'm sitting here fishing like this!

Oh, come here baby!

I don't have a care in this world.

Oh, I got a gargalli.

Hey baby daddy!

[laughing] Ooooooh baby, I love it!

[paddles splash] - EASLEY SMITH: Paddling, it's nice cause you don't have the buzz of the motor from a boat.

So, you get to hear the movement of the water, and you get to kind of feel like you're supposed to be there, instead of in a big clunky boat where you're just kind of rocking.

And you get to get really close to the trees and see the detail of the wood, and the hanging of the moss.

And it's just nice to see the little intricate details of nature.

[blues music] - KELSEY: Caddo Lake is a really special place to visit.

It's a place unlike any other within the state.

- EASLEY: This is pretty cool!

- BRANDON: You really have the opportunity to come out here and really recharge and be a part of nature.

[blues music] - KELSEY: Here is a mysterious, quiet, wild getaway that you just don't find anywhere else.

[blues music] [upbeat music] - LINDSAY STROUP: I like my brain to be busy.

I mean, that's when I'm happiest: when my brain's busy, I'm trying to solve something.

My first two years at school, I got my nursing prereqs, and then right before I applied to nursing school, I was just like, "Nah."

I'm studying wildlife biology at West Texas A&M University.

I don't have any student loans so far, and I would have to take out student loans for an apartment.

I was looking at the rent around Canyon and that was real expensive.

I researched about the volunteer opportunities and I just came across being a park host.

In the description it says you can keep your camper up there, you get a camp spot for while you're working, and so I was like, "Hmm... that's interesting."

I looked up the distance between here and my school and it wasn't bad; it's like 10 minutes.

Everybody thought I was crazy, like, "What do you mean you're going to live in a camper?"

Cheetos doubling as cheese.

Don't judge me.

I'm out of cheese slices.

I was real fortunate that my grandparents let me use their camper.

Since it's just me and my dog and my snake, it's really all the space we need.

It's a great way to go through college.

- Lindsay is a little different.

She's at a totally different end of the spectrum than what we typically see in our park host program.

We have some regular folks that volunteer with us.

Park hosts are staffed at each one of our camping loops.

- KEN WATSON: Hackberry to headquarters with a site count.

- RADIO VOICE: Go ahead.

- You can't have or expect park staff to be on-site 24 hours a day in a camping loop, but with park hosts, they can be there.

- KEN: Good morning folks!

How are you?

- LACRETA: You have required site counts.

- Are you leaving today?

- No, we'll be here one more night.

- LACRETA: And you're responsible for keeping bathrooms stocked and clean.

- KEN: Okay, dear, it's all clear.

They're short-handed.

There's no way to fill that gap other than with volunteer services.

- VISITOR: What's your name?

- My name's Ken.

- Ken, I'm Eric.

- KEN: We are the best, and the first, and the most available point of contact for campers.

Then you'll see another little intersection right there.

- JEFF DAVIS: There's a lot of stuff that we could not do as successfully without our volunteers.

Most of them, I would say, are retirees.

And they do everything from keeping the restroom in their loop clean, to helping at the gatehouse, to helping with interpretive programs.

And if they have special skills then we make use of that too.

- LINDSAY: They need more projects to do anyway.

- JEFF: You know, we didn't start out intending it to be like an internship, but the experiences that she's gaining is very much like one.

She's just starting her working life, so she just has a little different perspective on things.

- SHANNON: The primary use for that property... Lindsay is not jaded by some of the boundaries of life that some people know because of their experiences.

She knows no bounds at this point.

That's contagious, so it's been wonderful for my staff for her to just be here.

- LINDSAY: It's a job, that you don't hate.

You're not like "Ah, I gotta go to work!"

You know?

I will work out in the field if they need me there.

If they don't really need me anywhere at the moment, I just kind of figure out something that needs to be done with the park, like either pick up trash, or help clean out one of the camp loops, bathrooms, stuff like that.

I mean, I prefer this over working somewhere else.

[uplifting music] [upbeat music] I lived in an apartment before this, in a house in an apartment, I never lived in a camper.

It is a little challenging balancing everything.

Sometimes you get sightseers in the park and if I was running late to class or something, then I might be a little extra late after that.

[footsteps] As I've gone along through the semester, I've been balancing it better.

Good time management skills.

- Remember with waterfowl, we have how many flyways?

- LINDSAY: I would really like to be a wildlife biologist.

I've learned a lot from just living out here.

It's relaxing in some ways and it's exciting at the same time.

I thought it was too good to be true.

You get to live in a beautiful place and be a part of something bigger than yourself.

You feel right at home.

[water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [water gently lapping] [boat engine revving] [crickets chirp] - NARRATOR: This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota--Let's Go Places.