Saint Charles Bay
Encyclopedia
St. Charles Bay is an inlet of Aransas Bay
in Aransas County, Texas
. It is flanked by Lamar peninsula on the west and Blackjack peninsula on the east. The bay hosts a valued ecosystem for the endangered Whooping Crane
, and is a prime location for birding and fishing. Goose Island State Park
and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
are located along the bay's shores, attracting nature enthusiasts year-round.
The nomadic Karankawa Indians used the bay for hunting before the arrival of Europeans, but no major human settlements were ever established. The unincorporated community of Lamar
on Live Oak Peninsula is the only substantial community that borders the bay. The cities of Rockport
and Fulton
on the main Aransas Bay are located only a few miles away, and the bay is usually considered a part of the collective Rockport-Fulton area. The bay is roughly 150 miles southeast of San Antonio
and about 40 miles northeast of Corpus Christi
.
Indians before the arrival of European settlers. The Spanish referred to the bay as Laguna del Bergantine, which translated to the Lagoon of the Brigantine
. The name is the likely the source of Burgantine Lake, found at the bay's head. The name derived from a Spanish vessel that was being used to transfer money to Texas to bribe Mexican soldiers at Goliad
and San Antonio
in 1818. It was caught in an Aransas Bay storm that swept the ship into the waters of St. Charles Bay, landing in a creek at its base. Supposedly, the ship was abandoned in the surrounding prairie (Fagan ranch near Tivoli, Texas
), and its parts used by area settlers (later determined to be the Fagan family) to build homes.
The first major settlement on St. Charles Bay was Lamar
, founded in 1839 by James W. Byrne. The town was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar
, who was elected as President of Texas the previous year. The settlers aimed to compete with Aransas City
on the adjacent Live Oak Peninsula. After a customhouse was moved from Aransas City, at the behest of President Lamar, Aransas City declined and Lamar grew into a prosperous port and salt producer. It was bombarded and destroyed by the Union during the American Civil War
, leaving only the ruins of a Catholic chapel and a few homes. Shortly thereafter, the town was rebuilt. By 1915, a post office, school, hotel, ranches and twenty-five homes had been constructed at the site. By 1970, 150 people lived in the town and by 2000, it had 1,600 residents. It remains an unincorporated community of Aransas County.
", in Goose Island State Park. Further south are several piers which jut into the bay, below which Halls Point is formed. Directly south of Halls Point is Goose Island, back at to the confluence with Aransas Bay.
, the largest bird in North America, is the most highly prized sight as only a few hundred remain, including three families on St. Charles Bay. The bird was near extinction in the early 20th century, as only two flocks between Canada and Texas remained. The population increased following the organization of the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in 1937, after the Federal government purchased the land of the St. Charles ranch from San Antonio oilman Leroy G. Denman, using funds from commemorative stamps. The Refuge later became known as the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Whooping Cranes are also protected by Goose Island State Park, which was established by the State of Texas in 1931. Other birds that migrate to the bay include the Sandhill Crane
, American White Pelican
, Brown Pelican
, Roseate Spoonbill
, Great Blue Heron
and Canada Goose
. The blue crab and other shellfish, help sustain the bird population. Thirty seven species of mammals are found on Blackjack peninsula, including White-tailed deer
, Nine-banded Armadillo
s and Collared Peccaries
. The Spotted Seatrout and Redfish
are the common finfish that reside in the bay. While trout are generally found in the bay's deeper waters, Redfish live in shallow waters; their tail fins can be spotted above the surface during the peak summer and fall months. The bay also supports a healthy population of American Alligator
s, which reside in shallow waters. Signs alert visitors to be careful.
s were dug in tidal marshes around the bay, producing salt for condiments and to be used as a preservative for meats. Today, due to the bay's location, east of Goose Island State Park and west of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, very little industry can be found. No industrial plants are located on the bay's shore, but a few gas and oil wells are present. The Continental Oil Company is allowed to obtain oil and gas from the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge as part of the purchase of St. Charles Ranch. Goose Island offers a few piers and campgrounds facing the bay, which encourage tourism. The privately owned St. Charles Bay Hunting Club is also found in this area, and allows hunting, boating and fishing on the bay, while striving to protect the ecosystem. The lack of coastal winds also attracts tourists interested in kayak
ing and wadefishing, however, boating is hindered by the general shallowness of the bay and the abundance of oyster reefs. Shellfish production is approved throughout the bay, but shrimping is prohibited due to the classification of St. Charles Bay as a nursery bay.
Aransas Bay
Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas gulf coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island . Aransas Pass is the most direct navigable outlet into the Gulf of Mexico from the bay...
in Aransas County, Texas
Aransas County, Texas
Aransas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 22,499. Its county seat is Rockport. Aransas County was formed in 1871 from Refugio County.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. It is flanked by Lamar peninsula on the west and Blackjack peninsula on the east. The bay hosts a valued ecosystem for the endangered Whooping Crane
Whooping Crane
The whooping crane , the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. Along with the Sandhill Crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild...
, and is a prime location for birding and fishing. Goose Island State Park
Goose Island State Park
Goose Island State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Texas, located north of the city of Rockport on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The park covers . It is surrounded by both St. Charles and Aransas Bays....
and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is a 114,657 acre protected area situated on the southwest side of San Antonio Bay along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in parts of Aransas, Refugio, and Calhoun counties. The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established by Executive...
are located along the bay's shores, attracting nature enthusiasts year-round.
The nomadic Karankawa Indians used the bay for hunting before the arrival of Europeans, but no major human settlements were ever established. The unincorporated community of Lamar
Lamar, Texas
Lamar is a small, unincorporated community in Aransas County, Texas , ten miles north of Rockport and forty miles north of Corpus Christi. The community was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas....
on Live Oak Peninsula is the only substantial community that borders the bay. The cities of Rockport
Rockport, Texas
Rockport is a city in Aransas County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,385 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Aransas County. The coastal community has approximately 8000 citizens. Large windswept live oaks are a dominating feature of the area and the state's oldest live oak,...
and Fulton
Fulton, Texas
Fulton is a town in Aransas County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, this South Texas coastal fishing community had a population of 1,553...
on the main Aransas Bay are located only a few miles away, and the bay is usually considered a part of the collective Rockport-Fulton area. The bay is roughly 150 miles southeast of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and about 40 miles northeast of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
.
History
St. Charles Bay was the domain of the KarankawaKarankawa
Karankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
Indians before the arrival of European settlers. The Spanish referred to the bay as Laguna del Bergantine, which translated to the Lagoon of the Brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
. The name is the likely the source of Burgantine Lake, found at the bay's head. The name derived from a Spanish vessel that was being used to transfer money to Texas to bribe Mexican soldiers at Goliad
Goliad, Texas
Goliad is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 1975 at the 2000 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Goliad County. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Goliad is located on U.S. Highway 59, named also for...
and San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
in 1818. It was caught in an Aransas Bay storm that swept the ship into the waters of St. Charles Bay, landing in a creek at its base. Supposedly, the ship was abandoned in the surrounding prairie (Fagan ranch near Tivoli, Texas
Tivoli, Texas
Tivoli is an unincorporated community in Refugio County, Texas, United States. It takes its name from the town of Tivoli in the Lazio region of central Italy.The Austwell-Tivoli Independent School District serves area students.-External links:...
), and its parts used by area settlers (later determined to be the Fagan family) to build homes.
The first major settlement on St. Charles Bay was Lamar
Lamar, Texas
Lamar is a small, unincorporated community in Aransas County, Texas , ten miles north of Rockport and forty miles north of Corpus Christi. The community was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas....
, founded in 1839 by James W. Byrne. The town was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was a Texas politician, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the second President of the Republic of Texas, after David G. Burnet and Sam Houston.-Early years:Lamar grew up at Fairfield, his father's...
, who was elected as President of Texas the previous year. The settlers aimed to compete with Aransas City
Aransas City, Texas
Aransas City is a ghost town on the tip of the Live Oak Peninsula in Aransas County, Texas near present-day Fulton. It served as a port on Aransas Bay at its confluence with Copano Bay during the 1830s and 1840s, but declined following its loss of a Republic of Texas customhouse to the rival port...
on the adjacent Live Oak Peninsula. After a customhouse was moved from Aransas City, at the behest of President Lamar, Aransas City declined and Lamar grew into a prosperous port and salt producer. It was bombarded and destroyed by the Union during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, leaving only the ruins of a Catholic chapel and a few homes. Shortly thereafter, the town was rebuilt. By 1915, a post office, school, hotel, ranches and twenty-five homes had been constructed at the site. By 1970, 150 people lived in the town and by 2000, it had 1,600 residents. It remains an unincorporated community of Aransas County.
Features
St. Charles Bay is shaped laterally from south to north, and is located on the Texas Coastal Plain between the Lamar and Blackjack peninsulas. Its mouth opens into Aransas Bay between Goose Island and Blackjack Point, but is nearly cut off by islands and reefs that stretch across it. North of Blackjack Point to Bird Point, is an extension called the East Pocket, which forms an indention at the tip of Blackjack peninsula. Beyond the East Pocket are mudflats, included in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. North of Bird Point, the shore continues northward, passing the La Punta Windmill. Further north, past a large tidal swamp, Egg Point juts into the bay, above which an inlet forms the Bill Mott Bayou. Past several more swamps, Little Devil Bayou and Big Devil Bayou are formed, separated by Indian Head Point. Past the Mille Dietrich Point, the McHubb Windmill and Bayou are found, as the bay narrows in width. The northernmost point is located slightly to the east and meets at the mouth of the small Twin Creek. A narrow strip of marshland and a dam, separates St. Charles Bay from the similarly shaped Burgentine Lake, which continues to the northeast, and is fed by Burgentine Creek. Past Twin Creek, the shore curves to the southwest to a small opening, that forms the mouth of Salt Creek. Further south, the shore is largely marsh, until reaching the rather large mouth of Cavasso Creek. From there, the shore forms a straight line southeast to the Big Sharp Point, from which a gas well can be seen in the bay. South of Big Sharp Point is Little Sharp Point, which forms on the edge of a swamp. From this point, the shore curves back to the southwest to a swamp, where a lagoon is located further inland. South of this, is the large oak tree known as the "Big TreeThe Big Tree, Rockport
The "Big Tree" is one of the most famous live oaks in the world. It was named Texas State Champion Coastal Live Oak in 1969. It is thought to be one of the largest in the United States.-History:...
", in Goose Island State Park. Further south are several piers which jut into the bay, below which Halls Point is formed. Directly south of Halls Point is Goose Island, back at to the confluence with Aransas Bay.
Ecosystem
Saint Charles Bay serves as a habitat for approximately 300 species of birds. Birders venture to the site between November and March, when the creatures winter near the bay. The endangered Whooping CraneWhooping Crane
The whooping crane , the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. Along with the Sandhill Crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild...
, the largest bird in North America, is the most highly prized sight as only a few hundred remain, including three families on St. Charles Bay. The bird was near extinction in the early 20th century, as only two flocks between Canada and Texas remained. The population increased following the organization of the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in 1937, after the Federal government purchased the land of the St. Charles ranch from San Antonio oilman Leroy G. Denman, using funds from commemorative stamps. The Refuge later became known as the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Whooping Cranes are also protected by Goose Island State Park, which was established by the State of Texas in 1931. Other birds that migrate to the bay include the Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
, American White Pelican
American White Pelican
The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
, Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican
The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is in length, weighs from and has a wingspan from .-Range and habits:...
, Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
The Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae...
, Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
and Canada Goose
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
. The blue crab and other shellfish, help sustain the bird population. Thirty seven species of mammals are found on Blackjack peninsula, including White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, Nine-banded Armadillo
Nine-banded Armadillo
The nine-banded armadillo , or the nine-banded, long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...
s and Collared Peccaries
Collared Peccary
The collared peccary is a species of mammal in the family Tayassuidae that is found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family...
. The Spotted Seatrout and Redfish
Redfish
Redfish is a common name for several species of fish. It is most commonly applied to members of the deep-sea genus Sebastes, or the reef dwelling snappers, Lutjanus. It is also applied to the slimeheads or roughies , and the alfonsinos ....
are the common finfish that reside in the bay. While trout are generally found in the bay's deeper waters, Redfish live in shallow waters; their tail fins can be spotted above the surface during the peak summer and fall months. The bay also supports a healthy population of American Alligator
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
s, which reside in shallow waters. Signs alert visitors to be careful.
Industry
During the 19th century salt evaporation pondSalt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
s were dug in tidal marshes around the bay, producing salt for condiments and to be used as a preservative for meats. Today, due to the bay's location, east of Goose Island State Park and west of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, very little industry can be found. No industrial plants are located on the bay's shore, but a few gas and oil wells are present. The Continental Oil Company is allowed to obtain oil and gas from the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge as part of the purchase of St. Charles Ranch. Goose Island offers a few piers and campgrounds facing the bay, which encourage tourism. The privately owned St. Charles Bay Hunting Club is also found in this area, and allows hunting, boating and fishing on the bay, while striving to protect the ecosystem. The lack of coastal winds also attracts tourists interested in kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing and wadefishing, however, boating is hindered by the general shallowness of the bay and the abundance of oyster reefs. Shellfish production is approved throughout the bay, but shrimping is prohibited due to the classification of St. Charles Bay as a nursery bay.