George Bush Park is a county park in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, located on the far west side of the city. Situated entirely within

Barker Reservoir Barker Reservoir is a flood control structure in Houston, Houston, Texas which prevents downstream flooding of Buffalo Bayou, the city's principal river. The reservoir operates in conjunction with Addicks Reservoir to the northeast, which impou ...

, a large

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

structure, the park covers , most of which is undeveloped forest used for the storage of floodwater. A variety of public recreation facilities are located along Westheimer Parkway, which bisects the park, including soccer and baseball field complexes, a

shooting range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue, or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...

, and a

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...

. Named in honor of former Houston-area U.S. Representative and President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, the park was known as Cullen–Barker Park until 1997.

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. Since the park is entirely located within the normally dry Barker Reservoir, it is subject to routine flooding and closure during times of high rainfall. Most of the attractions are located on Westheimer Parkway (not to be mistaken with Westheimer Road / FM 1093), a major thoroughfare in the park. The park hosts a large group of soccer fields,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

fields, a

, model aircraft flying fields, and numerous pavilions, playgrounds, ponds and jogging trails. The park is also a popular

geocaching Geocaching (, ) is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called ''geocaches'' or ''caches'', at sp ...

destination.

History

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. Cattle and farms occupied the area throughout the early 1900s, until it became parkland in the mid-1940s. The

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

constructed

in the 1940s to limit flooding along Buffalo Bayou in Houston. The present area occupies about half of the original area.George Bush Park - History
/ref> The park stayed under the name Cullen–Barker Park until January 1997, when Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack proposed the name George Bush Park in honor of the 41st President of the United States,

. In May of that year, the former president attended the opening ceremony, and the park received its new name. On September 13, 2011, during the 2010–13 Southern United States and Mexico drought, a significant wildfire broke out within the park. At its zenith, the fire was wide, consuming over of reservoir grassland. Shortly afterward, a man was arrested in connection with the blaze, but charges were dropped and the arson investigation was inconclusive.

Facilities

Jogging & biking trails

The park has a system of jogging trails, many surrounded by

swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

, 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. 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. The other two are public fields.

American Shooting Centers

The American Shooting Centers reserves of land near the southeast entrance for shooting. The center provides shooting fields, a gun rental/purchase shop and lessons. The following are awards & accomplishments made by the club:American Shooting Centers - Houston's Premier Recreational Shooting Facility
Main Page *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

{{reflist, 2 Parks in Houston