The Texas Historian, Volume 31, Number 3, January 1971 Page: 17
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas Historian and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
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by JANET EBERSPACHER
Angleton High School
ISLAND OF MISFORTUNE' '1 t; ' rF% ) at " '- 1_ t., .
. -r, . . :'-,:- : V, ' - ;, : ,
Sketch by E. M. Schiwetz. Reproduced with per-
mission of Humble Oil & Refining CompanyA SANDY strip of beach, once an island, now
a narrow peninsula, San Luis Island has in-
spired men for many years. The recorded
history of this island began approximately
ninety-two years before the Pilgrims landed
in North America.
In November, 1528, Cabeza de Vaca,-on
his way from Spain to northern Mexico, was
shipwrecked on the Texas Gulf Coast. His
diary, long preserved, gives descriptive reports
of life and conditions on an island that some
historians believe to be San Luis. Some of
these reports, however, because of the extreme
hardships he and his men underwent, seem
to have been greatly exaggerated.
De Vaca and his men, who were marooned
on the island with only parched corn and
rain water, were harassed by Indians on the
island who resented the intruders and made
life even harder for them; thus, De Vaca gave
the island its first name, "Bad Luck" or "Mis-
fortune Island." The explorer continued hisjourney, and the island was left to Nature and
the Indians.
About 1800, as the lands of Texas were
opened to settlers, large groups arrived to
settle the rich lands of the Gulf Coast. In 1823
a group from Illinois came to Campeche (Gal-
veston Island). With dreams to build homes
and start a permanent settlement, the settlers
were captured by the beauty of San Luis, and
they brought to it people, homes, and a love
for the scenic land and wonderful climate.
There was one important factor they over-
looked-the fierce tropical storms. Before long
the settlement was destroyed, and the few
remaining adventurers returned to their homes
in the United States. Once again the island
became a wind-swept paradise for Nature.
In 1838 a company from Philadelphia came
to sell land at the west end of Galveston Is-
land. In their opinion San Luis would soon
become a world famous port. They dreamed
of building a beautiful, thriving harbor city17
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Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 31, Number 3, January 1971, periodical, January 1971; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391413/m1/19/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.