The old Fairchild Oak of Bulow Creek State Park

The old Fairchild Oak of Bulow Creek State Park - Photo: Still Gravity.
The giant elder of Florida - License our images here. 

This oak is the elder king of Bulow Creek State Park. A giant 78 feet tall and 8 of diameter at the trunk, this tree was lucky to escape the axes of colonists, farmers, and modern real estate developers. Fairchild Oak is now one of the largest of its kind in the south of the United States.

The plaque at its base says that it's 2,000 years. The data is wrong. Between four and six centuries is the estimated age of this tree. Either way, it's a pretty old tree.  

The "Fairchild" in the name was to honor botanist David Fairchild - same guy of the Fairchild Tropical Garden of Miami. This happened in 1955.

Before it was just a common oak. Haunted legends surround the tree. Two folks lost their lives under the magnificent branches - or at least were found dead there. One by unknown cause and the other by suspected suicide. But no worries, these dark events happened in the 19th century.   

A trail close to the tree gets lost into the green wilderness of Bulow Creek. 

(We were camping in Tomoka River State Park.)

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