Today, I travel down the beach road to Galveston. I have no problem going through Winnie/Stowell, but it would be a lot more retro if we could spend millions of dollars restoring Highway 87 between Sabine Pass and High Island until another tropical storm wipes it out. I’m sure it’s not feasible, but it would be more convenient. I also know the downside of this, and I’m not talking about money. I would have to pass the nudie beach before getting to the cross and Hwy 124. Is the nudie beach still a thing?
I did see that TxDOT has been trying to stop the flooding on the highway with rocks and borders. This is a good thing. I also saw a few old pipes sticking up off the beach, which used to be connected to beach houses just on the waterline. Erosion is the devil. I remember taking a drive to Crystal Beach in 2008 after Hurricane Ike to volunteer for a cleanup. The Bolivar Peninsula was in a pretty sad state, but they were determined to rebuild and look at them now. One thing that was weird was not seeing all of you fishing at Rollover Pass after they filled it in on a dark and dreary night. Well, so much for offshore fishing on a bridge.
A shipwreck just off the beach at Rettilon Road (just before you get to Fort Travis and the ferry) is something of a mystery. I never knew about this wreck until a friend sent me an article about it in 2017. It’s not from the Civil War era—maybe from the late 1900s? I would love to find out more about it. I’ve asked numerous people, but they have no clue. If you know where the ship came from, please tell me; the pelicans don’t.
It’s the second weekend of the Galveston Historic Homes Tour, and I would normally tour the houses again; this year, instead, I will help out a friend and volunteer. I love taking the tour. Sometimes, when you’re in line, you meet others who also love this event and have stories of their experience volunteering. These stories are priceless to me. I will say that volunteers may be from different backgrounds, but they think the same. They love the experience and gripe about it at the same time. I guess it means we’re all family. By the way, if you are traveling from Houston to Galveston there is a mess on a bridge near Tiki Island. It’s one lane only. TxDOT IS the DEVIL. Luckily, I will be taking the ferry in the morning, but I’ve brought my 706-page diary of a WW2 admiral to read while I wait in line on Ferry Road to leave Galveston. I’m sure I’ll finish it, but I already know the ending; it’s not good for him. #Ugaki
As Florence Stratton referred to her, I have Mrs. Bruce Reid on my list of subjects to research in detail. You may have heard of her as Bessie Reid from Port Arthur, and you may have had a textbook entitled When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends. This was the last book Florence Stratton published. It was definitely a hit on the elementary school scene. Bessie was an avid birder and a researcher of the Native American tribes of Texas. This is why the original story of Kisselpoo was born on the pages of the Port Arthur News on July 1st, 1923. It’s a great story, but there was never an Indianette from Port Neches whom the Moon goddess loved and drowned in Lake Sabine. Native American tribes did winter in Port Neches, but that is a whole lot of lost history. You can thank Joseph Grigsby, the Civil War, Beaumont’s muddy roads, and Texaco for the loss of the burial mounds, which I’m sure were sights to see.
Well, it seems that most of my ramblings were beach-related. I hope that’s alright with you. Thinking back to my childhood, my family didn’t have a beach house. We were the poor sods that ate sandy hotdogs on McFaddin Beach. (There must be many here that did the same.) One thing I hope is that they rebuild the beach road to High Island. It’s what we knew. And if they do, I hope they call it the William D. Quick Highway, because talking to those who knew him, it’s clear that no one loved this stretch of road more than Bill.
Until next week. Aloha!
You must be logged in to post a comment.