Matagorda Island (), ''Spanish for'' "thick brush," is a 38-mile (61 km) long

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...

on the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Gulf coast, located approximately south of Port O'Connor, in the southernmost part of Calhoun County. The traditional homeland of the

Karankawa people The Karankawa were an Indigenous people concentrated in southern Texas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, largely in the lower Colorado River and Brazos River valleys."Karankawa." In ''Cassell's Peoples, Nations and Cultures,'' edited by John ...

, the island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

on the east and south, and

Espiritu Santo Bay Espiritu Santo Bay is a northeastern extension of San Antonio Bay in Calhoun County, Texas. It is separated from Matagorda Bay by a line of barrier islands that run south from Port O'Connor to Matagorda Island. History ''Espiritu Santo'' is Spanis ...

on the west and north. It is separated from San José Island to the south by

Cedar Bayou Cedar Bayou is a salt water channel on the Texas coast that separates San Jose Island from Matagorda Island. The pass serves as a water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and the San Antonio, Matagorda and Aransas Bay systems. History Cedar ...

, and is separated from the Matagorda Peninsula to the north by Pass Cavallo. It is accessible by boat only. It has a land area of . Matagorda Island State Park occupies on the northeastern end of the island. The remainder of the island is devoted to

wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s managed by the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

and the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

and is known as Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge and State Natural Area. The land that is now Matagorda Island State park was acquired in 1940 by condemnation from the Hawes, Hill, and Little families (but not the Wynne-Murchison interests) for use as a temporary training facility for the World War II era. Matagorda Island State Park was featured as a "survival location" by the main characters in the book '' Day by Day Armageddon'' by J.L. Bourne. The island is also featured as a principal location in the book ''

Powersat Space-based solar power (SBSP, SSP) is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space by solar power satellites (SPS) and distributing it to Earth. Its advantages include a higher collection of energy due to the lack of reflection and ab ...

'' by

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fac ...

. Life on the island in the late 1800s is described in the book ''A Texas cowboy, or, Fifteen years on the hurricane deck of a Spanish pony'' by Charles A. Siringo

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Matagorda Island has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Matagorda Island
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References

Notes Sources
Matagorda Island: Block 2201, Census Tract 9905, Calhoun County, Texas
United States Census Bureau

External links

Texas Parks and Wildlife: Matagorda Island State Park
* * ttp://www.matagordaisland.com/index.htm Matagorda Island Historybr>A Texas cowboy, or, Fifteen years on the hurricane deck of a Spanish pony on the Internet Archive
* * {{authority control Barrier islands of Texas State parks of Texas Landforms of Calhoun County, Texas Protected areas of Calhoun County, Texas

Climate

See also

References

External links