Walking by English oaks in the park should provide a sense of history and take you back to the days of Henry Shaw. Articulating our Victorian theme, the English oak is native to Europe and the Caucasus and was introduced into North American landscapes in the 1600s. Being a tree that is widely used in Europe, it is no surprise that Henry Shaw and his successors used it here to bring about the English impression. Most of the columnar shaped oaks, used around town as visual barriers, are a hybrid of this species.