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

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

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 () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

on the east and south, and Espiritu Santo Bay 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 Ced ...

, and is separated from the

Matagorda Peninsula The Matagorda Peninsula () is a narrow spit of land on the southeastern coast of Texas in the United States. The peninsula is in Matagorda County, Texas. The barrier island lies between Matagorda Bay, an estuary, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Te ...

to the north by Pass Cavallo. It is accessible by boat only. It has a land area of . Matagorda 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, funga, or features of geolog ...

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 habitat (ecology), habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state park, state's parks and historical ar ...

and the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...

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 or SSP) is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space with solar power satellites (SPS) and distributing it to Earth. Its advantages include a higher collection of energy due to the lack of reflection ...

'' 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Matagorda Island has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, 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 Wildlife Management Area
* * 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 Landforms of Calhoun County, Texas Protected areas of Calhoun County, Texas

Climate

See also

References

External links