Cat Island is a

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 ...

off the

Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states th ...

, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. The island's name comes from French explorers who mistook

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

s (which were not introduced to Europe until the 20th century) for cats. It is unknown who discovered Cat Island. It is within the jurisdiction of

Harrison County, Mississippi Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, Harrison County is the second-most populous county in Mississippi with a population of 208,621; although the most recent population estimate from 202 ...

. The western half and southern tip of the island is part of the

Gulf Islands National Seashore Gulf Islands National Seashore is an American National seashore that offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. In 2023, it was the fifth-mos ...

Formation and history

Cat Island is a unique "T-shaped" island created by colliding

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 ...

currents. Unlike the other Mississippi islands, Cat Island's sand beaches are backed by dense forests of slash pines and live oaks. Due to the

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

of the Gulfport ship channel, however, Cat Island has lost its natural westward flow of sediment which provided material for the island to combat erosion.

Bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

s and

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es on Cat Island are home to

alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

s and refuge to

migratory bird Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality. Th ...

s. The island became a home to multiple settlers during the 18th century. The first settler to acquire a land grant was Nicolas Christian Ladner. The island was sold in 1837 by Ladner's son-in-law. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the island was base for the Cat Island War Dog Reception and Training Center where Americans sent family dogs to be trained by the U.S. Army Signal Corps for military service. The dogs were trained to sniff out

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

s because of the belief that those of Japanese ethnicity had a distinct odor. This particular experiment was totally unsuccessful though dogs proved effective as an aid to sentries and advance scouts. This period of the island's history was featured on a June 2009 episode of the PBS series '' History Detectives''. The western half and southern tip of the island became part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in 2002. The remainder of the island, including most of the beach, is still privately owned. The eastern beach is owned by BP, who purchased it in April 2011 to use in assisting cleanup of the 2010 ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill. In December 2016 Mississippi acquired the 492 acres that BP had purchased from the Brodie family in 2011. This section of East Beach was added to the Cat Island Coastal Preserve. In 2005

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

shrank the island by eliminating the southern tip. The hurricane destroyed every home located on the island. During the foul weather associated with Hurricane Patricia a commercial fisherman reported abundant redfish in the flooded bayous of the island.Schindler, Sonny. (27 October 2015). "Outdoors Report:Flooded grass reds". Clarion Ledger. (Jackson). Retrieved 27 October 2015
Clarion Ledger website
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References

External links

* * * {{authority control Barrier islands of Mississippi Landforms of Harrison County, Mississippi Gulf Islands National Seashore Beaches of Mississippi

Formation and history

See also

References

Further reading

External links