I'm sure my account of this travesty doesn't cover all the details,
here's a site that gives plenty of facts. This post an overview from my memory. I haven't let my dad read this yet to fact check it for me, but if there are any corrections I'll update.
My great great grandfather settled on Matagorda Island over 150 years ago. He raised sheep and cattle. During WWII the government condemned the land from my great grandfather by walking up to him on his property and stating he had (something like) a week to remove all of his livestock and whatever was left would be shot.
Wealthy and (perhaps) politically influential landowners did not suffer this fate. Their land was leased not condemned. An Air Force training base was built to train pilots during the war. During a hearing, the families whose land was taken were told the land would be returned to them after the war, when the land was not needed anymore. Keep in mind that ranching was these families only livelihood. Incidentally, the wealthy land owner ran his cattle on the entire island while the Air Force was there...including the area that was taken from my family.
After the war (surprise!) the land was not returned. Thus begin a long and exhausting battle to regain the property. For a time the land was
leased back to the ranching families. At some point (I'm not sure the date, it may have been in the 70's or 80's) the land was turned over to the Interior Department of the state. I have no idea what this department does, but I'm sure it knows how to spend taxpayer money. Apparently there is some rule or law that when a condemned land has served it's purpose, before it can be given back or auctioned, it has to be offered to any other government entity that may want it. Cozy little idea, huh? I guess like...recycling.
Matagorda Island became a haven for environmentalists. (And thus began my long standing
affection for environmentalists.) Suddenly the government found "scientists" who said that cattle were not compatible with the wildlife on the island's delicate ecosystem. I guess 150 plus years of ranching and thriving wildlife isn't a long enough case study? One "study" of these "scientists" said that the cattle were compacting the soil.
And?But every time something new would come out, more and more restrictions would be placed on the families. They were not even living over there. They only went on the island to manage cattle and to do roundups. My own family was only allowed to go visit the island once a year at most. And usually my dad would do repair work on the house when he was there, like one trip where he replaced all the windows.
Eventually the battle was lost. The government and the environmentalists won. The remaining cattle were moved to a leased property on the mainland, where sadly, most died from disease. I guess they were used to a more
fragile ecosystem.
Thank goodness they got rid of those pesky cows. Because it made room for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. They gave (and by gave I mean charged a fee for) guided tours of the island. I hope the people and vehicles traveling over there didn't
compact the soil any further! But if you did find yourself on a tour over there, you should have taken what you heard with a grain of salt. When they pointed out the bricked Civil War trench saying those bricks were laid during the Civil War, know that it's not really Civil War bricks.
My dad helped his dad lay those bricks himself in the 1960s when they were filling the trench to move a house across it to be put on a barge to the mainland. The house was the old lighthouse keeper's house that my grandfather bought for two hundred dollars. All he had to do was move it to the mainland. It was after the monstrous Hurricane Carla that destroyed POC. Those are the real facts.
Another interesting thing. The 'business' of guided tours was
so lucrative that the employees of the Parks Department would pull names out of the phonebook to fill in the guest roster to make it look like they needed to keep the ferry and tours in operation. (Yes I know this is fact, but I won't disclose my source.) Taxpayer money at work people!
I am so sad that I can't take my kids over there to soak up the history. It is awe-inspiring to come from such a rich tradition; to see
ancestors graves near the lighthouse. Even if I could get over there or had the stomach to pay for a tour, I wouldn't get to show them the ranch house. Shortly after the cattle were removed, the government saw fit to bulldoze the house and the fences and pens. Can't have any sad stories lingering around, can we? Might give the wrong impression. A wrong impression like the "biologist" who after his part in the environmental "studies" was able to live on the island.
One of my cousins did an in depth documentary titled "Gone But Not Forgotten". It was well done and contained interviews with several members of my family who are now deceased. I treasure my copy.
So you can see how government intrusion into private citizens lives really torches me. I see the massive growth of the federal government and the large cry by the citizenry for the government to
take care of us!...
provide for us! and I just want to scream "get out of our way and let us take care of ourselves!" Our behavior and finances and possessions are so regulated it makes my head swim. Want to go to the store? Buckle up! Want to add on a back porch? Get a permit! Want to take a shower? Pay taxes on that soap!
Of course the government should regulate. It keeps people safe. It keeps things running smoothly--for the most part. But it is going so overboard it's crazy. Many people now really think the government owes them a good life. A house? A car? Health insurance? What of these are rights? If you are able bodied, you should be able to provide for yourself. No you may not be able to provide a new car and a flat screen tv, but you should be able to put a roof of some sort over your head and food in your belly.
My grandparents provided for 14 children on a shrimper's salary. Children who became productive, kind-hearted people supporting families of their own. My grandparents did not rely on the government to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Carla destroyed most of what they owned. Hard work and perseverance were values--not looking for handouts.
Okay now I'm all worked up again, so I'm giving a rest for today. But I'm feeling a post on the health care dabate coming soon...be forwarned. ;)
I will say one last thing. This was government corruption at it's best. And on a small scale--I mean you've never heard this story before have you? Think of how many other cases of corruption we never hear of... Do I think the government should be in charge of my health care? No, not even close.
