Remembering the Immortal 32 from Gonzales County
In memory of the Immortal 32 men of Gonzales County who answered the call for aid at the Battle of the Alamo against Santa Ana in February 1836, the Rotary Club of Gonzales enlisted the help of Gonzales Master Gardeners. Their goal was to plant 32 Black Walnut Trees in the J.B.Wells Park to remember these brave men. The Black Walnut trees were started from seed by the third graders from Gonzales Elementary School in the fall of 2017 as part of the program taught by Gonzales Master Gardeners. The program is an effort to restore and conserve the black walnut tree in Gonzales County. Last October, a dedication ceremony to honor the 32 Gonzales County men who died at the Battle of the Alamo was held at J.B Wells Park along the sleuth just south of the river. At that time, the area was too wet to plant the 32 Black Walnut trees but is an excellent location as the area retains enough water during most years to provide the needed moisture for the trees. On March 27, 2019 the trees were planted and will be monitored by the members of the Rotary Club. It will be exciting to see the progress of their efforts.
The Gonzales Elementary Orchard Update
The area for the tree orchard, south of the PACE building, finally dried out enough that our County Commissioner, Donnie Brzozowski, was able to fulfill a promise to help GMG. A better surface on which to grow our walnut trees and other trees has been needed for some time. The existing drip irrigation was put aside so that the heavy equipment could bring in 4-6 inches of road base material into the area. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the standing water issues we have had before. Jan Fiebig, program leader for the Black Walnut project, is working on a plan to put the drip lines back in place and move the growing walnut trees off the deck and back to the orchard. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities to help with this project.
The third graders planted approximately 300 seeds last December and approximately 180 of them have germinated. These will be distributed to people in the community sometime in the fall of 2019. If you want some of these trees, contact the extension office to be placed on the list for distribution.