George Bush Park
Encyclopedia
George Bush Park is a city park in Houston, Texas
in the United States
. It is the sixth largest city park in the nation, covering 7800 acres (31.6 km²). It was previously known as Cullen-Barker Park.
flood control
. The present area occupies about half of the original area.
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 the 41st president of the United States George H. W. Bush
. In May, the former president attended the opening ceremony, and the park received its new name.
Due to the ongoing Texas drought
, on 9/13/2011, Houston Firefighters
were dispatched to the park responding to a wildfire. The fire has quickly grown and the firefighters were sent to the north levee near I-10 to wait for the fire to come to them and stop it there. At one point the fire was one mile wide, consuming 1,500-arce of the park, with the cause under investigation.
. 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.
Cattle and farms occupied the area throughout the early 1900s, until the it became parkland in the mid-1940s.
, a major water source in the park.
Most of the attractions are located on Westheimer Parkway (not to be mistaken with F.M. 1093
), a major thoroughfare in the park. The park hosts a large soccer field, a shooting range
, and numerous pavilions, playgrounds, ponds and jogging trails.
, and bayous. 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
in that both feature paved trails. A critical shortcoming of the trail system is that the sole paved trail does not form a loop, requiring cyclists to either ride in the traffic lanes of high-speed thoroughfares or retrace their route.
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. 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.
There are six baseball fields in the park. Four of them are reserved for the West Oaks Little League
. The other two are public fields.
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the sixth largest city park in the nation, covering 7800 acres (31.6 km²). It was previously known as Cullen-Barker Park.
History
The federal government opened the Barker Reservoir in the 1940s, mainly for Buffalo BayouBuffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins in Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
. The present area occupies about half of the original area.
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
. In May, the former president attended the opening ceremony, and the park received its new name.
Due to the ongoing Texas drought
2011 Southern US drought
The 2011 Southern US drought is a severe to extreme ongoing drought plaguing several US states which include Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The worst hit has been Texas, where near...
, on 9/13/2011, Houston Firefighters
Houston Fire Department
City of Houston Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States...
were dispatched to the park responding to a wildfire. The fire has quickly grown and the firefighters were sent to the north levee near I-10 to wait for the fire to come to them and stop it there. At one point the fire was one mile wide, consuming 1,500-arce of the park, with the cause under investigation.
Pre-settlement
Before the area was known as part of Houston, the marsh was part of the Stephen F. Austin colonyStephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. 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.
Cattle and farms occupied the area throughout the early 1900s, until the it 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 BayouBuffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins in Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
, a major water source in the park.
Most of the attractions are located on Westheimer Parkway (not to be mistaken with F.M. 1093
Farm to Market Road 1093
Farm to Market Road 1093 is a farm to market road in the U.S. state of Texas. It begins in Eagle Lake at FM 3013 and heads east to Interstate 610 in Houston. In Houston, a portion of FM 1093 is also a portion of "Westheimer Road", which continues east of I-610 without the FM 1093...
), a major thoroughfare in the park. The park hosts a large soccer field, a shooting range
Shooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
, and numerous pavilions, playgrounds, ponds and jogging trails.
Jogging & biking trails
The park has a system of jogging trails, many surrounded by swamps, forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, and bayous. 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
Terry Hershey Park is a city park that runs parallel to a roughly 6 mile western stretch of the Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas, United States. The park is named after Terry Hershey, a conservationist who campaigned to keep the banks of Buffalo Bayou from being paved...
in that both feature paved trails. A critical shortcoming of the trail system is that the sole paved trail does not form a loop, requiring cyclists to either ride in the traffic lanes of high-speed thoroughfares or retrace their route.
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. 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.There are six baseball fields in the park. Four of them are reserved for the West Oaks Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
. The other two are public fields.
American Shooting Center
The American Shooting Center reserves 563 acres (2.3 km²) 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:- 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