White Oak Bayou is one of the several waterways that give Houston,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, its popular nickname, "The Bayou City." The Bayou originates northwest of
FM 1960Farm to Market Road 1960, or FM 1960, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. Its western terminus is at an intersection with U.S...
, near
Highway 6State Highway 6. or SH 6, runs from the Red River, the Texas-Oklahoma boundary, to northwest of Galveston. In the Houston area, it runs north to FM 1960/CyFair then northwest along US Highway 290 to Hempstead and south to Westheimer Road and Addicks and is known as Addicks Satsuma Road. In the...
and U.S. Highway 290/Northwest Freeway, and meanders generally toward the southeast until it joins
Buffalo BayouBuffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the county near Katy, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
in downtown Houston.
White Oak Bayou drains areas throughout the northwest portions of
Harris CountyHarris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 3,400,578 , making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States...
as well as the City of Jersey Village and portions of the City of Houston.
White Oak Bayou is one of the several waterways that give Houston,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, its popular nickname, "The Bayou City." The Bayou originates northwest of
FM 1960Farm to Market Road 1960, or FM 1960, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. Its western terminus is at an intersection with U.S...
, near
Highway 6State Highway 6. or SH 6, runs from the Red River, the Texas-Oklahoma boundary, to northwest of Galveston. In the Houston area, it runs north to FM 1960/CyFair then northwest along US Highway 290 to Hempstead and south to Westheimer Road and Addicks and is known as Addicks Satsuma Road. In the...
and U.S. Highway 290/Northwest Freeway, and meanders generally toward the southeast until it joins
Buffalo BayouBuffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the county near Katy, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
in downtown Houston.
Watershed
White Oak Bayou drains areas throughout the northwest portions of
Harris CountyHarris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 3,400,578 , making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States...
as well as the City of Jersey Village and portions of the City of Houston. Its
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
covers about and includes three primary streams: White Oak Bayou, Little White Oak Bayou and Cole Creek. In addition, Vogel Creek and Brickhouse Gully are among the major tributaries in the watershed. In all, there are about of open streams in the White Oak Bayou watershed, including the primary and tributary channels.
WildlifeWildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
habitat exists on much of the undeveloped tracts scattered throughout the watershed and has been preserved and/or created in several of the large regional stormwater detention basins constructed by the Harris County Flood Control District. However, only a little undisturbed wildlife habitat exists along the
urbanAn urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
channels of White Oak Bayou and its tributaries.
History
The original
Port of HoustonThe Port of Houston is the port of Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States. The Port is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico...
was located at the confluence of White Oak Bayou and
Buffalo BayouBuffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the county near Katy, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
in what is now downtown Houston by the . This area is called "
Allen's LandingAllen's Landing is the birthplace of Houston, Texas. In August 1836, just months after the Republic of Texas won its independence from Mexico, two brothers from New York, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, purchased 6,642 acres in the...
" and is the official birthplace of
Houston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
. The landing is now designated as an historical city park.
Near a bend in White Oak Bayou, where Houston's
FirstFirst Ward can refer to:* First Ward, Houston, Texas* 1st Ward of New Orleans* First Ward, Charlotte...
and
Sixth wards meet, lies
Olivewood CemeteryOlivewood Cemetery, in Houston, Texas, lies near a bend in White Oak Bayou, along the rail line to Chaney Junction, where the First and Sixth wards meet just northwest of downtown...
, the historic resting place for many freed slaves and some of Houston’s earliest black residents. Established in 1877, it is the oldest graveyard for African-Americans in the Houston area.
In early June 2001, the Bayou caused at least three of 17 Houston-area deaths attributed to
Tropical Storm AllisonTropical Storm Allison was a tropical storm that devastated southeast Texas in June of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The first storm of the season, Allison lasted unusually long for a June storm, remaining tropical or subtropical for 15 days...
, when it raged out of its banks, as the maximum rainfall from Allison that fell on June 8th and 9th was shifted primarily over the White Oak Bayou watershed. Its tributary, Little White Oak Bayou, accounted for another two deaths.
Along the Bayou
The West White Oak Bayou Trail runs along the banks of the bayou, parallel to T. C. Jester Boulevard, from 11th Street to Pinemont (just north of 43rd Street), providing bicyclists and pedestrians an almost long concrete and asphalt trail. Passing through several parks, the trail is lighted and includes protective railings in some areas. In 2006, the
Houston PressThe Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
named the West White Oak Bayou Trail the best bike path in the City of Houston.
Connections to and from the West White Oak Bayou Trail include the
Central Business DistrictA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
(CBD) Access On-street Bikeway, at 11th Street and at Ella Boulevard on the south; and the West Houston On-street Bikeway, at 34th Street, Du Barry Lane (to Wakefield Drive), 43rd Street, Carleen Road (to Bethlehem Street), and Pinemont Drive on the north.
Just north of
downtown HoustonDowntown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States.Downtown Houston contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
, around White Oak Park, the banks of White Oak Bayou have been cleaned and a swampy area restored where
birdwatchingBirdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are more readily detected and identified by ear than by eye...
can be enjoyed.
Yellow-crowned Night HeronThe Yellow-crowned Night Heron , also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron...
and
Green HeronThe Green Heron is a small heron of North and Central America. It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the Striated Heron , and together they were called "Green-backed Heron"...
nest there, and a number of eastern woodland birds also reside in and around the park. In addition, the White Oak Bayou Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of wildlife habitats along the bayou, has been established as part of the Citizens' Environmental Coalition.
Also along the bayou, between 18th and 11th Streets, is a grove of trees that have been planted by Trees For Houston. The "Tribute Grove" offers individuals the opportunity to commemorate special people or events by planting a tree on White Oak's banks. Since 1997, 1,494 trees have been planted in area Tribute Groves by Trees For Houston.
External links