The Poway Oak was a coast live oak that inspired the city's logo. The historic oak tree, symbol of the "City in the Country," sprouted around 1790 when California was a province of Spain and the Native American Kumeyaay-Ipai lived here. Coast live oak trees were important to the Native Americans in this region as a resource for tools, medicine and food.
For more than 200 years the Poway Oak grew on a steep slope alongside what is now Espola Road, south of Twin Peaks Road. In its maturity, the tree stood over 75 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 24 feet. During this time, Poway grew from a farming area to a residential community. After Poway became a city in 1980, the tree was named the Poway Oak and became the city’s emblem in 1981. It was Poway's first Heritage Tree. In 2002, the Poway Oak was removed due to natural decay.
A monument to the Poway Oak was unveiled in 2006 at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve. A portion of the original trunk, four feet high by ten feet long, was preserved and mounted on a concrete replica of the trunk base. Interpretive signs described the tree and the ecology of the region, which includes oaks, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral-covered hills.
The monument was destroyed when the Witch Creek Fire swept through the reserve in 2007, but portions of tree are still with us. Portions of the wood were transformed into art and furniture, which are on display at Poway City Hall, as well as crafts and guitar inlays.
