Mustang Island

Mustang Island

275px Map showing Mustang Island, in a long chain of barrier islands (see: Padre Island, to the south).
Geography
Location	Gulf of Mexico
Length	24 mi (39 km)
Country
United States
State	Texas
Counties	Nueces
Additional information
Official website	Mustang Island State Park

File:Mustang Island.JPG

The beach at Mustang Island State Park.

Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, and Corpus Christi Bay on the north and west. The island's southern end connects by roadway to Padre Island. At the northern end of the island is Port Aransas, beyond which is San José Island (also known as Saint Joseph Island). The Aransas Channel (also known as the "Aransas Pass"—for which the nearby town on the mainland is named), formed by the separation of Mustang and San José islands, is protected by jetties extending into the gulf from each island.

The town of Port Aransas is located at the northern end of the island. Mustang Island State Park encompasses the entire southern third of the island, including 3,954 acres (1,600 ha) and 5 miles (8 km) of beach. The city of Corpus Christi includes the northernmost portion of Padre Island and part of Mustang Island between Port Aransas and the state park.

The island is a popular Spring Break destination for its beaches.

History

In 1519, when Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda sailed through the pass to what he later named Corpus Christi Bay, the Karankawa Indians were likely the island's only residents. By the 18th century, as a result of grazing herds of horses, introduced by Spanish settlers, was first called "Wild Horse", then "Mustang Island". Up to the 1840s the island and pass (now the ship channel) were used by buccaneers, Mexican smugglers, merchants and immigrants seeking their fortune or someone else's fortune.

Captain Robert Mercer was the first settler to set up residence on the island with his family. His wife is said to have been the first white woman in the area. He built a house there in 1853 and named it El Mar Rancho.

Wildlife

• On September 2007, Corpus Christi, Texas wildlife officials found a record of 128 Kemp's Ridley sea turtle nests on Texas beaches, including 81 on North Padre Island (Padre Island National Seashore) and 4 on Mustang Island. Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridleys hatchlings along the Texas coast this year. The turtles are endangered due to shrimpers' nets and they are popular in Mexico as boot material and food.
• On June 10, 2008 a sperm whale beached itself on one of the island's beaches. It had to be euthanized because the city didn't have the equipment needed to move the large whale.

References

• Mustang Island from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Mustang Island State Park official web site.

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mustang Island
• Padre Island Beach Visitors Guide