Published: March 10, 2008 08:50 pm         

Shangri La rich in history, oddities

ORANGE, Texas — Lore has it that Lutcher Stark may have had one of the most unique remedies for dealing with rebellious children.

The philanthropist is said to have constructed stairs at the base of a now 1,226-year-old pond Cypress that borders Adams Bayou for the purpose of perching his sons under the shady canopy when they got out of line. Stark reportedly told the boys to sit under the stately tree and ponder the meaning of life when they seemed to need to put the brakes on some of their perhaps unsavory actions.

A time out in Shangri La may have seemed like a punishment back then, but for eyes feasting on the park for the first time, the wonder and rich heritage that exude from “The Lost Horizon” offer a visual treat.

And what of that ancient Cypress tree?

According to Noelle Jordan, education coordinator for Shangri La, that particular tree — now known as the Survivor Tree — is not common in Texas.

“Pond Cypress trees are not supposed to grow west of the Mississippi,” Jordan said recently during a boat tour down the Bayou. “Luckily for us, Mother Nature does not read rule books.”

The Survivor Tree is just one oddity that will officially be unveiled during the opening of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center next week.

The plush park opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday with a grand opening ceremony and vine cutting.

Attendees should pay careful attention to the bricks lining three turtle ponds and a boat house that rests at the edge of Ruby Lake.

Legend has it that the turtle ponds — original fixtures at the park — are lined with ancient bricks imported from France, and supposedly walked on by Joan of Arc.

For a bit of more localized nostalgia, guests can also admire the house boat Lutcher Stark shared with his bride, Ruby, during the couple’s honeymoon.

In the children’s garden, visitors will enjoy searching for the queen bee in a giant glass-encased beehive while standing beneath the “bottle trees.”

The row of trees may have shed their leaves for the winter months, but there are plenty of purple bottles to draw a spectator’s eye toward the branches.

Visitors also will see bat houses, and egrets perching high above the bayou.

Presently 1,500 long-eared bats call Shangri La’s Bat Meadow home. Just down the bayou, many more winged creatures have set up housing in the park.

From Shangri La’s Heronry Blind, guests can view 17 species of birds. Bird watchers also can get a birds-eye view of the majestic feathered creatures themselves by viewing television monitors attached to cameras affixed high in the Cypress trees.

To learn more about Shangri La and Lutcher Stark, visit www.shangrilagardens.org.



Ashley Sanders writes for The Orange (Texas) Leader.