Goose Island State Park is 321.4 acres on St. Charles and Aransas bays. It is located north of Rockport in Aransas County. The state acquired land for the park in 1931-1935 by deeds from private owners. A legislative act set aside the state-owned Goose Island as a state park.

The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the earliest park facilities in the 1930s.

The Big Tree, named State Champion Coastal Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) in 1969, is one of the largest in the nation. Centuries old, the Big Tree has a circumference of 35 feet and a crown spread of 90 feet. The tree is 44 feet tall.

For more information:

• The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks During the Great Depression
• A New Deal for Texas State Parks (e-book resource for teachers and students)
• Handbook of Texas Online:  Aransas County.