| George Bush Park | |
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| Type | public park, wildlife sanctuary |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Size | 7,800 acres |
| Opened | 1940s |
| Operated by | Steve Radack [1] |
George Bush Park is a city park in Houston, Texas in the United States. A park is a protected area of Land and Water, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped state and set aside for some purpose often to do with human An animal sanctuary is a facility where Animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is the sixth largest city park in the nation, covering 7,800 acres[2], and was previously known as Cullen-Barker Park.
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History
The federal government opened the Barker Reservoir in the 1940s, mainly to control flooding of the Buffalo Bayou. The present area occupies about half of the area. [3]
The park stayed under the name Cullen-Barker Park until January 1997, when Commissioner Steve Radack proposed the name George Bush park, in honor of former president George H.W. Bush. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 In May, President Bush Senior attended the opening ceremony, and the park received its new name.
Pre-Settlement
Before the area was known as part of Houston, the marsh was part of the Stephen F. Austin colony. After settlers in the area moved out of the park, much of its land was sold to ranchers.
In the 1880s, a railway named the Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railroad ran trains from Houston to surrounding areas. Barely lasting one decade, the line was forced to shut down due to bankruptcy, yet still the park considers it a heritage. [3]
Cattle and farms were based throughout the early 1900s, until the area became parkland in the mid-1940s.
Overview
The large park, located on the far west side of Houston, serves as an attraction and nature reserve for the Buffalo Bayou, a major water source in the park. Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County Texas, USA.
Most of the attractions are located on Westheimer Parkway[4] (not to be mistaken with F.M. 1093), a major thoroughfare in the park. Farm to Market Road 1093 ( FM 1093) is a Farm to market road in the U The park hosts a large soccer field, a shooting alley, and numerous pavilions, playgrounds, ponds and jogging trails.
Jogging & Biking Trails
The park has a long system of jogging trails, many surrounded by swamps, forest, and bayous. A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Many of the trails follow the Buffalo Bayou, and biking is popular year round. The trail is well known for its flexibility in biking, many speed bikers ride the trails. It is very similar to the nearby Terry Hershey Park. Terry Hershey Park is in west Houston, Texas, USA. It has a network of walking and biking trails that run along Buffalo Bayou from State
The Boardwalk
In addition to the biking trail, there is a large wooden bridge that crosses the Buffalo Bayou, dubbed "the Boardwalk" officially.
Capable of holding 5 tons (10,000 lbs. ), the Boardwalk was a recent addition, built in 2004, mainly to cross the swampy, meandering Buffalo Bayou. [5] The bayou flows slowly and unsteadily in the area, spilling some of its water into swamps as it conjunctions with a second bayou.
The Boardwalk provides easy access across the bayou, seating, but no access to the Buffalo Bayou shoreline.
Sports Fields
The park hosts two large, green soccer fields. These are commonly used for local-area teams to run practice drills. The first one is located near the western entrance, and the second, which is slightly smaller, is located near the baseball fields. [4]
There are six baseball fields in the park. Four of them are reserved for the West Oaks Little League[4]. Little League Baseball is the name of a Non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local children's leagues of baseball and Softball The other three are public fields.
American Shooting Center
The American Shooting Center reserves 563 acres of land near the southeast entrance for shooting. The center is well-known for accumulating nine different awards from different organizations. The center provides different shooting fields, a gun rental/purchase shop and paid shooting lessons.
Awards & Accomplishments
The following are awards & accomplishments made by the club:[6]
- 125+ corporate and fund-raising events
- Club of The Decade Award - Runner Up
- Home of the US Open, 1997 and 2004
- Texas State Championship - 1993, 1999, 2001, 2003
- Home of the Bayou City Classic and Browning/Briley World Open
- NSCA Club of the Year - 1997 and 2001
References
- ^ George Bush Park (Harris County Commissioner Pct 3) Park Main Page
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Almanac 2006, pg. 272
- ^ a b George Bush Park - History
- ^ a b c Park Layout
- ^ George Bush Park - Photo Gallery
- ^ American Shooting Centers - Houston's Premier Recreational Shooting Facility Main Page
See also
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