The Oliver Pecan

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Oliver Pecan, out there in Kimble County. Now, some stories start with a man. Some start with a tree.

This one starts with both, and they're worth every mile of road between you and them. Young P. Oliver was born in Guadalupe County in 1857, and in 1876, still a young man himself, he came out to this part of Texas and put down roots.

Twenty years later, in 1896, he purchased a section of land. Six hundred and forty acres. And on that land grew hundreds of pecan trees.

Oliver looked at what he had, and he didn't just see shade. He saw an industry. He became a pioneer in the pecan business, and at the heart of it all stood one tree in particular.

They called it Old Oliver. Now, when I say giant, I want you to hold that word for a moment. This tree produced three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds of soft-shelled nuts per year.

Every year. And then came 1906, when Old Oliver apparently decided to remind everyone exactly what it was capable of: eight hundred pounds. Eight hundred pounds of pecans off a single tree.

Young P. Oliver had the foresight to graft buds from Old Oliver onto seedlings from its own pecan strain, and that's how the well-known Oliver pecan strain was developed; carried forward in the branches of its own offspring. Oliver himself passed in 1925, but the work he'd started lived on.

Then 1935 rolled in with a flood, and the flood took Old Oliver. That giant tree, the one that started it all, was gone. But here's the thing about a legacy rooted that deep: you don't wash it away so easy.

The Oliver pecan strain is still produced commercially to this day, and nut harvesting remains a major industry in Kimble County. One man, one tree, one section of land. Still bearing fruit.

What the marker says

Young P. Oliver (1857-1925) came to this area in 1876 from his native Guadalupe County. In 1896, Oliver purchased this section (640 acres) of land, on which grew hundreds of pecan trees, and became a pioneer in the pecan industry. The grove contained "Old Oliver", a giant tree which produced 350-400 pounds of soft-shelled nuts per year; 800 pounds in 1906. By grafting buds from "Old Oliver" on seedlings from its pecan strain, the well-known Oliver pecan strain was developed. A flood in 1935 destroyed the tree, but its pecans are still produced commercially. Nut harvesting is a major Kimble County industry.