The Dueling Oak, a generously proportioned Live Oak (Quericus virginiana) lives in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is about 300 years old with a height of 70 ft and a girth of 25 ft.
The Dueling Oak is the surviving tree of the original pair of “Dueling Oaks,” where countless duels were fought in the early days of New Orleans. Creole honor was a delicate thing, easily offended, and countless duels were fought here over women, perceived insults, and differing opinions, or “just because.” Duels were fought with pistols, sabers, colichemardes (a long sword), and even poison pills and Bowie knives, in a uniquely American twist on dueling. Indeed, the amount of duels fought here is quite staggering. According to the Times-Democrat, between 1834 and 1844 “scarcely a day passed without duels fought at the Oaks.” One Sunday in 1839 alone saw 10 consecutive duels beneath the trees. It’s a wonder anyone was left alive to build the city.
Of all the duels fought beneath the tree, my personal favorite resulted from a European scientist insulting the Mississippi River by calling it “but a tiny rill compared to the great rivers of Europe.” A Creole overheard the insult and immediately came to the defense of the river, challenging the scientist to a duel, which the Creole won.
Laws against dueling began to be enforced in 1855 and the last duel was fought beneath the oaks in 1890. The land, formerly part of a plantation on the edge of town, was purchased by the city and turned into a city park. The other Dueling Oak succumbed to disease in the 1940s, but the surviving example still stands, having witnessed a great deal of spilled bloodshed and restored honor in its time.
The Dueling Oak by Stephen Malkoff
[...] virginana) living in City Park, New Orleans. (I recently featured one of its companion oaks, The Dueling Oak, another prominent tree in City Park). I have not found age and height information, but it looks to [...]