Year: 2020

In 1684, the famed explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle embarked from France to establish a military settlement on the lower reaches of the Mississippi River.^[1] Roughly two hundred and eighty souls on four vessels accompanied La Salle—only a handful would survive the expedition.

From a present-day perspective, the voyage began poorly. Illness struck fifty men with two dying. Spanish corsairs captured the colonizers’ supply ketch, limiting the expedition’s supplies. And La Salle and the fleet captain continually clashed, sowing discord among the sailors and the colonizers. Despite these hardships, officers on the ship exclaimed that “it had been a long time since they had such a fortuitous crossing,” a testament to the usual hazards of a trans-Atlantic voyage in the seventeenth-century.^[2]

After two months of overseas travel, the colonists temporarily landed at the port town of Petit Goâve in Saint Domingue (Haiti) to resupply. While at Petit Goâve, locals persuaded six of La Salle’s colonists to desert the expedition by listing dangers awaiting them on the voyage to the mystical Mississippi: keel-crushing reefs, relentless Spanish fleets, blinding winds, mountains of fog, and most fearfully, “miserable savages who live on roots.”^[3] Continue reading “La Salle’s Doomed 17th Century French Colony on the Texas Gulf Coast” →

This article is a history of the historical works about the Karankawa Indians of the Texas Gulf Coast. Recently, the Karankawas’ image in the historical record has improved greatly, but I argue there is still an immense amount of work to do. Scholars need to better integrate Karankawa historical actors into their work. Authors need to start their histories of Native Peoples prior to European contact. And finally, Karankawas are alive today—the writing of their history requires their voice.

To keep the post manageable, I only touch on a handful of secondary works related to the Karankawas. 

Continue reading “Historiography of the Karankawa Indians” →

A message from the Karankawa community:

MCGLOIN BLUFF SITE (41SP11) DISTURBANCE BY PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

Request for all Karankawa Kadla & Allies to address the Army Corps of Engineers regarding Development near Historic Karankawa Camp Site

Houston, TX March 7, 2020- On March 6, 2020 representatives from the Karanawa Kadla Nation received notice from the Ingleside On The Bay Coastal Watch Association (IOB-CWA) that MODA Mainstream LLC, has submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers & the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a proposal for work (SWG-1995-02221). The proposal for work is to build a new pier next to the existing pier located on Arleigh Burk Rd. The second pier would extend from Wisconsin Rd and stretch the distance into the coastal waters matching the existing pier.

The proposed development of the land and the construction of the second pier may disturb and affect an archaeological site (41SP11), a site proving prehistoric occupation by the Karankawa prior to European colonialism. The site is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and is also eligible for designation as a State Archeological Landmark. An archeological investigation was performed in 2008 by the TRC Environmental Corporation & sponsored by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, which produced evidence supporting the theory of occupation by the Karankawa. This investigation produced more than 39,000 sherds of pottery, 11 fragments of ceramic pipes, 103 arrow points and a variety of other items specific to the Karankawa culture and way of life. The earliest recording of our inhabitants of that camp came from the French explorer, Jean Beranger in 1720, who after anchoring his ship in Aransas Pass, noted that an encampment existed housing at least 500 persons in a dozen large round huts.

We request all Karankawa, and allies, to immediately email the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request a public hearing in order to establish protective measures of the historic site, which is a part of the Karankawa’s little remaining history.

Please send your request via email to swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil.

Comments made in reference to a public notice should include your name, address, phone number and the Department of the Army permit number referenced in the public notice (SWG1995-02221)

Sample Email