Sallier Oak

On the grounds of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum stands a live oak that predates the city, the parish, and likely the first European contact with this stretch of the Calcasieu River. The Sallier Oak — named for Charles Sallier, an early settler whose name also graces the street — is registered with the Louisiana Live Oak Society and estimated at more than 300 years old. Its canopy spreads wide enough to shade most of the museum's front lawn. Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 damaged many of Lake Charles's heritage trees; the Sallier Oak survived both. It is the single oldest living thing in the city.