Name: Port Aransas, Texas
Address: Port Aransas, TX

The Tarpon Capital of the World RoadyGoat

For about 50 years, Port Aransas had a singular obsession: a giant, silver fish called the tarpon. Starting in the late 1890s — the town was literally renamed Tarpon in 1896 — this became the undisputed 'Tarpon Capital of the World.' These weren't just any fish; they were huge, acrobatic, and incredibly difficult to land, making them the ultimate prize for sport fishermen. Wealthy anglers from across the country came here, and in 1937 so did President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They stayed at inns like the Tarpon Inn, where a tradition began of tacking a scale from a visitor's first tarpon catch to the wall. Roosevelt never lodged there himself, but his signed scale went up with the rest, and you can still see thousands of them at the inn today. The tarpon population eventually declined, but for half a century, this one fish defined the town, built its economy, and gave it a legendary status in the world of sport fishing.

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Hurricane Harvey and 'Port A Strong' RoadyGoat

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey slammed into Port Aransas as a Category 4 monster. It was the strongest storm to hit the area in over 50 years, and the devastation was absolute. Wind gusts over 130 miles per hour and a massive storm surge flattened buildings and tossed boats onto roads. In the morning light, residents who had evacuated returned to a town that was almost unrecognizable. An estimated 85% of the structures were damaged or destroyed. But in the face of that destruction, something remarkable happened. The community adopted the motto 'Port A Strong.' It wasn't just a slogan; it was a promise. Neighbors, local businesses, and volunteers from across the country began the monumental task of cleaning up and rebuilding. The recovery is still ongoing, but the town you see today is a powerful symbol of resilience, built by people who refused to let one storm wash their home away.

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The Jetties: Engineering the Pass RoadyGoat

The very existence of Port Aransas as a port is thanks to a monumental feat of engineering you can still see today: the jetties. The natural Aransas Pass was wide and shallow, constantly shifting and silting up. To create a reliable channel for deep-draft ships, engineers had to tame it. Beginning in the 1880s, they began constructing two parallel jetties extending far into the Gulf. The idea was simple in theory, but massive in practice: the walls would use the power of the tide itself, forcing the water into a narrower, faster-flowing stream that would scour the channel deep. Built from massive blocks of granite hauled by rail from Central Texas, the project took decades and cost millions. By 1919 the south jetty ran 7,385 feet and the north jetty reached 9,241 feet, and the channel finally began to deepen. Those jetties fundamentally altered the coastal hydrology, stabilizing the pass and literally paving the way, with stone and science, for the town's future.

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Shorty’s Place

1946

Shorty’s Place, located at 823 Tarpon Street in Port Aransas, Texas, is considered by many locals to be the island’s “oldest and friendliest” music venue. Gladys Marie Fowler, also known as “Shorty,” opened the bar on April 12, 1946, and it has hosted live Texas music ever since. Soon after opening, Shorty’s gained a reputation as a local watering hole where musicians of all backgrounds could gather to join in on the nightly country music jam sessions. The bar came equipped with a piano and a guitar for those interested in performing, although the “house” fiddle was off limits to everyone but Shorty’s husband, Mac Fowler. Following Shorty’s death in 1978 (she was murdered by a sixteen-year-old bar patron), her daughter, Rose Smithey, took over as owner. In the early 1980s “Miss Rose,” added a large outdoor deck to the front of the bar. Soon afterward the music moved from inside the small bar to the outside deck, making Shorty’s the first bar in Port Aransas to offer live, outdoor music every Friday and Saturday night. Some of the better-known Texas musicians who have performed there over the years include Willie Nelson, Texas Ruby Owens , Patsy Jones, Gary P. Nunn, Rusty Wier , Larry Joe Taylor, and blues musician Rocky Benton. Besides the coming and going of some well-known musicians and a few additions to the “house” instrument collection, not much has changed at Shorty’s Place. The parking lot still floods when it rains, the hardwood floors are still saturated with beer, and there is still no air-conditioning or central heat. The ceiling, covered in hats left behind by visiting customers, is a testament to the number of people who have stopped by to experience a bit of Texas culture. The bar continues to fill up each weekend with visitors wanting to hear country music and drink cold beer. Though jam sessions by the “local island boys” no longer happen on a regular basis, musicians do occasionally gather to jam, and live bands still perform there throughout the year. Longtime owner Rose Marie Gates Smithey died on August 12, 2011. Her daughter, Joy Gates George, and her grandson, J. W. George, continued to operate the establishment until October 2012, when they sold Shorty’s Place to Edwin and Amy Myers. Thus one-family ownership of the venue since 1946 came to an end.

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Mustang Island

1855

Port Aransas is located on Mustang Island, one of seven Texas barrier islands. It is named for the wild horses that came here from shipwrecks and Spanish expeditions, and which once populated the island. The earliest humans here were members of nomadic groups collectively known as the Karankawas; they stayed on or about the islands in winter and fall, before moving inland during spring and summer. Robert Ainsworth Mercer (1799-1875) was Mustang Island's first settler; he came here in 1855 with his wife Agnes and children Mary Agnes, John and Edward. The Mercers built a house and a complex they named El Mar Rancho (Sea Ranch). Other settlers soon joined them, forming a small community; however, the new settlement was abandoned during the Civil War, when the USS Arthur took station off Mustang Island to blockade the Aransas Pass. The Federal sailors lived off the land, prompting six settlers to fire on them on February 11, 1862. The USS Arthur bombarded the island and a landing party further damaged property, leading to the islanders' flight from the island. Settlers returned here after the war, with many engaging in the booming cattle industry. By the 1880s, when the industry declined, islanders found markets for turtles and wild ducks. Many also offered goods and services, including guidance to hunting and fishing grounds, to workers constructing the Aransas Pass Jetties. Sportsmen began to visit the island, and by the 1920s tourism became the basis for its economy. By 1929, two roadways and a ferry service allowed for easier access to the island and further development of the tourist industry. Today, Mustang Island continues to be a popular destination for visitors, while also serving as home to increasing numbers of Texans. (2009)

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Tarpon Inn

1886

In 1886 Frank Stephenson, a boat pilot and assistant Aransas lighthouse keeper, opened an inn at this site in an old barracks. He called the facility "Tarpon Inn" for the abundant trophy fish in nearby gulf waters. The Inn served as a landmark for sailors, and Port Aransas was known for a time as "Tarpon". In 1897 Mary Cotter and her son J.E. Bought the two story inn from Stephenson. After the building burned in 1900, two new structures were built in 1904. When the 1919 hurricane destroyed the main structure, the dining facility was used until it was sold in 1923 to James M. Ellis and his wife. Ellis soon rebuilt this inn to resemble the old barracks. He placed 20-foot poles in 16 feet of concrete with pilings at the corner of each room to reinforce it against future hurricanes. For a time guests could reach the inn only by boat. It became a tradition to sign and date a Tarpon scale and place it on the wall in the front room. Among the famous patrons was president Franklin D. Roosevelt who fished here in 1937. Duncan Hines spent his honeymoon here and recommended the food for the next 25 years. The inn has housed many area residents during storms and served as headquarters for the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Military units.

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Aransas Pass Light Station

1855

Construction of 67-foot tower was started in 1855. The French lens was lighted in 1856, to mark natural Gulf pass to Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays by way of Lydia Ann Channel -- named for the daughter of the first keeper. During Civil War, Confederates (in 1863) buried lens for safety before damaging tower to avert use of light by Federal forces. The auxiliary structures were rebuilt after 1919 hurricane. One of original Texas stations of U.S. Lighthouse Service (merged into the Coast Guard in 1939), this light was decommissioned in 1952 after pass shifted southward. (1973) INCISE ON BASE: Lighthouse not open to public. INCISE ON BACK OF MARKER: Restored in 1972 by Charles C. Butt

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Port Aransas, TX

1850

Port Aransas, formerly known as Ropesville and as Tarpon, is a resort and fishing community on Mustang Island twenty-four miles northeast of Corpus Christi in extreme northeastern Nueces County. The settlement began as a sheep and cattle grazing station established by Robert A. Mercer of Lancaster, England, in 1850, when he settled on nearby St. Joseph Island. In 1855 he built a cabin on Mustang Island and moved there. William and Ed Mercer built a store on the island in November 1880. In June 1890 Elihu Harrison Ropes began an unsuccessful project to build a thirty-foot channel across the island to give Corpus Christi a direct connection with the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico. The community's first post office was established in 1888 and called Ropesville. In 1896 the name was changed to Tarpon to celebrate the local fishing. On April 1, 1911, the name Port Aransas was adopted. A school, known as Mustang Island School, was established around 1900. In 1914 it became the Port Aransas Independent School District. The town, which incorporated, had a population of fifty in 1925 and 300 in 1931. Since World War II Port Aransas has grown rapidly as a resort because of the miles of public beach and the attractive opportunities for fishing, swimming, surfing, and camping. The town had a population of 824 in 1960, 1,300 in 1970, and 2,218 in 1982. The number of people on the island, however, frequently swells to over 20,000 during peak tourism periods, straining facilities and congesting the roads. In addition to the regular summer tourists, Port Aransas is crowded with college students at Easter, at Christmas, and between semesters. Late fall and early spring are the best times for surfing. New construction, especially of motels and condominium apartments, has rapidly increased. In 1990 the town reported 2,233 residents and 100 businesses. The population increased to 3,370 with 259 businesses in 2000.

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American G.I. Forum of Texas

1948

On March 26, 1948, 700 Mexican-American veterans, led by Hector P. Garcia, met in Corpus Christi and organized the American G.I. Forum, a civil-rights organization devoted to securing equal rights for Hispanic Americans. The first issue the forum dealt with was the failure of the Veterans Administration to deliver earned benefits through the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944. After securing those benefits, the forum addressed other veterans' concerns, such as hospital care and Mexican-American representation on draft boards. In 1949 the director of the Rice Funeral Home in Three Rivers refused the use of his chapel for the funeral of Private Felix Longoria ( see FELIX LONGORIA AFFAIR ). Garcia and the Corpus Christi forum organized a widespread protest that gained national attention. Eventually, through the intervention of Lyndon B. Johnson , Longoria was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The incident in Three Rivers established the forum as an effective civil-rights advocate for Hispanics and expanded the scope and nature of its activities. The organizational structure promoted this goal. The local chapter was the basic unit; the membership of each local chapter had to be 75 percent veterans. Beyond the local chapter were the district, state, and (after 1958) national governing bodies. In some areas, auxiliary (female) and junior G.I. forums developed. The charter of each unit emphasized loyalty and patriotism. The forum also prohibited official endorsement of a political party or candidate. This sanction blunted possible charges of bloc voting. Skills and experience developed in the forum were, however, applied by members in political campaigns. In 1954 forum lawyers, in conjunction with attorneys for the League of United Latin American Citizens , successfully argued before the Supreme Court in Hernandez v. the State of Texas that Mexican Americans , although technically classified as Caucasian, suffered discrimination as a class and were entitled to the protection of the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1957 the Texas forum ended a ten-year struggle when a federal court agreed that school segregation of Mexican-American children in Texas schools was unjustified. In the same decade the forum helped thousands of Mexican Americans in the Rio Grande valley to register to vote, and incidents of police brutality were confronted in forum efforts. Health care and veterans' needs remained important concerns, as did scholarship donations, back-to-school drives, and the problems of migrant workers. In 1958 the American G.I. Forum became a national organization, and its members led Mexican Americans into national politics. In the 1960 presidential campaign Viva Kennedy-Viva Johnson clubs , administered by forum and LULAC leaders, helped to win Texas and New Mexico for John F. Kennedy. Robert Kennedy stated that the Spanish-speaking vote won the election for his brother. Although the Kennedy administration did not reciprocate with much federal aid, the Johnson administration did. The G.I. Forum played a significant role in the application of Great Society programs in the barrios, and for the first time Latin Americans were appointed to influential positions and agencies. When Johnson established the first cabinet-level office for Hispanic issues, he selected a former national chairman of the G.I. Forum, Vicente Ximenes, for the position. The American G.I. Forum continued its work through the 1970s with such efforts as the first application of the due-process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to de facto Mexican-American school segregation in Corpus Christi. In 1983 Garcia received an award for distinguished accomplishment from President Ronald Reagan.

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Port Aransas, Texas

Music in Port Aransas

Songs About Port Aransas

Artists From Port Aransas

Rivers & Roads in Song near Port Aransas

History of Port Aransas

The Tarpon Capital of the World RoadyGoat

Hurricane Harvey and 'Port A Strong' RoadyGoat

The Jetties: Engineering the Pass RoadyGoat

Shorty’s Place

Mustang Island

Tarpon Inn

Aransas Pass Light Station

Port Aransas, TX

American G.I. Forum of Texas

Things to Do in Port Aransas

Everything Near Port Aransas