Just off the coast of the Gulf Islands National Seashore lies Cat Island, an isolated, T-shaped sliver of sand with a remarkable past. A coveted hiding place for Jean Lafitte's pirate treasure in the late eighteenth century and illegal booze during Prohibition, Cat Island also witnessed the first shots of the Battle of New Orleans, an encampment for Seminoles during the Trail of Tears and the first lighthouses on the Mississippi coast. As a child, author John Cuevas learned that his family had owned and lived on the island for three generations beginning with his ancestor, Juan de Cuevas, referred to as "The King of Cat Island," who received it by way of a Spanish land grant. In this engaging work, Cuevas chronicles the historic events that occurred on the island's shores and offers a tribute to the legacy of one of the Gulf Coast's pioneer families.
Author(s): John Cuevas
Edition: 1
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 203
City: Jefferson, North Carolina
Cover
Acknowledgments
Contents
Preface
1. About Cat Island
2. The French Discover Cat Island and Settle Biloxi
3. The Fort on Cat Island
4. The First Mutiny on American Soil
5. Jean Lafitte, the Pirates, and Buried Treasure
6. The Hero of Cat Island
7. Juan de Cuevas Captures the Pirates
8. A British Officer Visits Cat Island After the War
9. The Cuevas House on Cat Island
10. Pioneer Life on Cat Island and the Developing Coast
11. The Seminole Indians on Cat Island
12. The Last Great Party on Cat Island
13. The Funeral of Juan de Cuevas
14. How the Truth Became a Legend
15. The Lighthouses on Cat Island
16. Turpentining and the Lumber Industry on Cat Island
17. Al Capone and the Rumrunners
18. The Goose Point Tarpon Club
19. The Secret War Dogs of Cat Island
20. Cat Island Owners from the Past to the Present
21. A Visit to the Cuevas Homestead in Spain
Notes
Bibliography
Index
