TEXAS SEAPORT MUSEUM

Built During "The Age of Sail"

The three-masted, iron-hulled 1877 tall ship Elissa is currently moored in Galveston. Elissa is not a replica like some tall ships, but a survivor.  It is one of the oldest ships that sails today. 

Over her 90 years of commercial history this freighter sailed to ports around the world with various cargos. Elissa is not only an artifact from a bygone era she is a fully functional vessel that continues to sail during annual sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

Rudder and Teak Furniture

Luckily she was rescued from the scrap yard in Greece by ship preservationists who refused to let her die. She was purchased for $40,000 in 1975. Elissa was restored in 1982. However, a 2011 U.S, Coast Guard inspection revealed a corroded hull and declared that she was not seaworthy. Fortunately the iron hull and stainless steel were forged to make the repair.  

Entry Way Door

With the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, Elissa is kept seaworthy. Her wake is over 135 years old. These volunteers train each year to sail her keeping the art of 19th century square-rigged sailing alive and well.

Piece of Decking that Went into Space

IT'S ISLAND TIME

America's Gateway on the Gulf

Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast, although shelling was disappointing. It is about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The island is about 27 miles long and about three miles at the widest point. 

Houston Ship Channel

It is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, West Bay on the west and Galveston Bay on the north. The far north end of the island is the entrance to Galveston Bay. Before the Civil War it was the largest cotton shipping port.

Residents of the island call themselves either BOI (born on the island) or IBC (islander by choice).  

The Great Storm of 1900 that battered Galveston Island destroyed over one-third of the island.  Over 3,600 buildings were completely destroyed and more than 6,000 people were killed. The photo below shows the the 2008 high water mark by LeRoy's hand and the one above his head shows the 1900 high water mark. 

Historical High Water Elevations

A seawall was constructed after the hurricane. Some houses were raised and many new ones were built on stilts.  Sand was dredged from waterways and pumped into the area within the seawall. The elevation of the east side of the island was raised by as much as 17 feet

Galveston Island was settled by Indians, Europeans, and the privateer Jean Lafitte. With Mexican independence in 1821 and the Texas revolution in 1836, the population in the Republic of Texas grew rapidly. The island became the primary port for Texas after it became a state.  Galveston was the second largest port for immigration making it a major population center until nearly the end of the 19th century. It was a major port of entry for many Germans who entered the state.

In the 1920s Galveston was hit by the bubonic plague caused not by rats but by the fleas on the rats. 

The city evolved into a gambling and drinking town.  However, this era came to a dead halt in June 1957 when the Texas Rangers raided the city.  They served injunctions against the gambling joints, even taking axes to the slot machines.

Variety of Shops in Historic Buildings

In the early 1980s Galveston began its campaign of renewal. It overhauled its historic downtown district. The Strand contains large and well preserved concentrations of Victorian iron-front commercial architecture. 

The Strand Historic District

WINTER TEXANS

Winter Texans

The promise of warm Gulf breezes and sunshine lured us to Seawind Campground.  Motorhomes are outnumbered by fifth-wheels.  Most winter guests have been returning here for many years.  They make up quite a community.

Over the Christmas holidays, it was party after party.  A Christmas Eve social, Christmas Day dinner with turkey and ham and all the trimmings, New Years Eve with a band,and a regular Friday night Fire Ring. Not to mention gatherings for Packer football games.

Grill is Prepped

Large Onion is Rubbed on Grill

Bring on the Meat!

There are rules when the mailman comes. No one is allowed in the office while mail is being sorted.  

Mail Call

Ricardo

Farewell Seawind

PADRE ISLAND

South Padre Island, located on the coastal tip of Texas, has beautiful powder-soft beaches, warm Gulf waters, fishing, bird watching, boating, and shopping.

We took a two hour drive to South Padre Island. It is a busy, touristy place. After a great shrimp lunch at Dirty Al's, we took a drive on the National Seashore.

Three-Bite Shrimps

So much sand from the seashore had blown over the highway that a bucket loader was pushing sand off the roadway as well as putting sand in dump trucks to be hauled away.

Huge Sand Dunes on Padre Island

It was reported that hundreds of frozen and paralyzed sea turtles washed up on the Texas shoreline near Corpus Christi during the recent cold spell with below freezing temperatures.  These turtles were rescued thanks to efforts of workers from the Padre Island National Seashore Sea Turtle Science and Recovery Center.

Mission:Rescue,Rehabilitate,and Release Sea Turtles

Although it was a long drive, the trip back proved interesting as we saw many deer as well as nilgai along the roads at dusk.

HISTORIC KINGSVILLE, TX

Kingsville is a city in Texas with a population of 26,213. It was established in 1904 after the railroad completed a line though the town. The city was named after Richard King, owner of the nearby King Ranch.

The Naval Air Station Kingsville is a military airport located three miles east of the city.  It is one of the U.S. Navy's premier locations for Navy jet aviation training.

Birthplace of the American Ranching Industry

Harrell's for Ice Cream Shakes

King Ranch Saddle Shop

KING RANCH - Cattle, History and Wildlife

The King Ranch is major agribusiness.  It has interests in cattle ranching, farming (citrus, cotton, grain, sugar cane and turfgrass), luxury retail goods and recreational hunting. 

Texas Longhorn / Patented King Ranch Designed Web Fencing

Richard King, a Rio Grande steamboat captain, purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas in 1853. He bought longhorn cattle from Mexico and battled droughts and cattle thieves to build a profitable ranch.

King Ranch led some of the first cattle drives, developed the Santa Gertrudis and Santa Cruz breeds of cattle, bred fine Quarter horses and produced champion thoroughbreds. We heard the King Ranch is the keeper of the genetics for the original longhorn cattle.

In the mid 1800's the first Kinenos from the tiny town of Cruillas arrived from Mexico.  They were hard working ranchers and expert horsemen.  Through the years these cowboys helped shape and tame the King Ranch.  Generations later, their descendants continue to work the ranch and are called "Kingsmen". 

King was one of the first ranchers to "drive" his cattle between 1866 and 1886.  The journey to the railhead in Abilene, KS, at the end of the Chisholm Trail took up to two months through a thousand miles of dangerous wilderness. 

Running W Brand

Over the years the King Ranch accumulated 825,000 acres, more land than the state of Rhode Island. Ford Motor Company has a "King Ranch" F-150 Pickup truck that has plush accessories.

Santa Gertrudis Breed

King descendants are pioneers in wildlife management.  They created visionary farming and ranching techniques and managed the land to be productive while conserving habitat for wild game. It's a balance of wild game and domestic livestock on this ranch.

White-Tailed Deer

We took a guided wildlife tour of the King Ranch. I was hoping to see that elusive Nilgai Antelope that we have been hearing about.  The King Ranch acquired Nilgai brood stock from the San Diego Zoological Garden in the late 1920s. They are flourishing as they now number 12,000 on the King Ranch. But alas, none were to be seen that day. We did see white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina and many species of birds.

Javelinas

Wild Turkeys

King Ranch

With 825,000 acres of varied habitat, the King Ranch is named as a site on the globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy boasting 363 bird species. 

A Haven for Birds

As the King Ranch is located along the Central bird migration flyway it's not surprising that Laura Bush frequently visits the King Ranch as she is a passionate bird watcher.

NILGAI FEVER

Nilgai is the largest antelope in Asia, with males weighing between 240 pounds to 635 pounds (two times or even three times the size of a white tail deer). 

They were apparently brought to the United States from India as zoo animals before the mid-1920s and were released in South Texas about 1930. 

Nilgai Prefer Areas with Low Bushes

The feral population in Texas is nearly 37,000 as of 2008. They are common in agricultural lands as they are, herbivores, primarily grazers. 

Hoof Prints

Bulls do not maintain a fixed territory but defend the space around themselves.  Fighting occurs between dominant bulls which sometimes results in serious injury or death. 

Defecation Pile

Nilgai make dung piles by repeatedly defecating on the same sites. The significance of this habit, social and territorial, is unknown.

Imaginary Nilgai

While out with the dog one evening, I thought I saw a nilgai watching us. Upon further inspection in daylight, it turned out to be a rotted palm tree about 35 yards from us. 

Wild populations also exist in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi where they have escaped from private exotic ranches. Believe me I will be watching.

Almost Albino Nilgai