Eternal Bois d’Arc: Dinosaurs Tempered It, Caddo Nation Tamed It and America Built On It with John Baecht of Bois D'Arc Kingdom (November 14, 2026)

Sat, 14 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Join John Baecht of Bois d’Arc Kingdom to explore these remarkable trees—once a food source for Columbian mammoths, which reached up to 9 tons, and giant ground sloths, weighing around 2 tons. As these bus-sized animals climbed, pushed, and snapped branches to reach the fruit, the tree adapted to withstand immense pressure.

Today, Bois d’Arc is one of the strongest, most elastic, and most rot-resistant woods in North America—a living legacy of its prehistoric past.

The natural range of Bois d’Arc shrank dramatically during the advancing ice age. After the ice retreated, the tree found a refuge in the Red River Valley of present-day Texas and Oklahoma. There, the Caddo Nation developed a thriving trade network, exchanging Bois d’Arc wood—especially prized for bows—across vast distances, reaching as far as the Great Lakes region. These bows were so valuable that they were often worth more than a horse.

As settlers moved into North Texas, they encountered dense groves of Bois d’Arc along creeks and rivers, sometimes making passage difficult. Wagon makers in towns like Bonham quickly recognized the value of this durable wood, crafting long-lasting wagons from it. During the hedge-planting boom of the 1850s, Bois d’Arc seeds became extremely valuable—at times even compared to gold by weight—because the trees were widely used for living fences.

With the arrival of barbed wire, Bois d’Arc became the preferred material for fence posts due to its remarkable resistance to rot. It played a key role in shaping agriculture and settlement across the region. For decades, its wood was also used in structural supports for buildings throughout Texas.

Bois d’Arc—known scientifically as Maclura pomifera—continues to attract interest today. Its oils contain powerful antioxidants, and researchers are studying its potential benefits for health and medicine.

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Wildlife Watching and Photography Around Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge with Dr. Michael Keck (December 12, 2026)

Sat, 12 Dec 2026 16:00:00 GMT

New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is world famous, mainly because it is the wintering ground for thousands of Sandhill Cranes. In this Second Saturday program, Michael will talk about the wildlife in the Refuge and surrounding areas. He will discuss travel and wildlife-viewing tips for both winter and summer visits to the area.

Michael Keck grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in Quantitative Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he studied snake ecology and physiology. He has been a biology professor at Grayson College since 2001. He lives with his wife, Trish, and their dogs in Savoy, Texas.

Friends of Hagerman NWR upcoming events

Eternal Bois d’Arc: Dinosaurs Tempered It, Caddo Nation Tamed It and America Built On It with John Baecht of Bois D'Arc Kingdom (November 14, 2026)

Wildlife Watching and Photography Around Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge with Dr. Michael Keck (December 12, 2026)