This shot didn’t win, but the pecan would become the Texas state tree in 1919. Its popularity had been growing since 1906, when former Governor James Hogg’s last wishes included a walnut tree ...

In 1919, thanks to Hogg, the pecan was named the state tree. Today the pecan is thriving. In 1981 the Texas harvest was 62 million pounds (almost a fifth of the national total) and had a value of ...

Big Valley Pecan Farm in San Saba County ... harvesting 4.5 million pounds of the tree nuts each year, according to the Texas State Historical Association. He is credited by the Fort Worth ...