Big Sky National Monument - Stonewall, TX

Lyndon Johnson is not a president often associated with the Antiquities Act. In his term, he enlarged four existing national monuments and established another two, most of which he did only at the behest of others. The exception to this is Big Sky National Monument. Set close to his ranch in Stonewall,Texas, Lyndon used to load VIPs into the back of his Lincoln Continental and go careening across the open prairies that would one day become the monument. He’s quoted saying that he loved seeing the faces of those unfamiliar with the Texas sky, crushed under the weight of it. And admittedly, there is something magical about the skies over the Lone Star State, something countless have commented upon. It’s in every song and story the state has to offer, the wide panorama of open sky that ensures storms can never sneak up on you, that teaches you from an early age how small you are in the world. It’s only fitting that a state obsessed with size would be blanketed by an equally big sky. Previ

The Toucan Island Grand Resort - Toucan Island, TX


Peter “Cuban Pete” Bramford was an oilman who went everywhere in a pair of faded cowboy boots and a bright Hawaiian shirt, a packet of chew in his back pocket and a wad eternally in his cheek. Having served in Hawaii during the Second World War, Pete became obsessed with tiki and luau culture and the idea of “Island Life.” After the war, he sought to bring a slice of this back to his home state of Texas. Disappointed by the Texan variety of beach culture, by miles of marshy barrier islands and the gray, gritty trash beaches of Galveston, he set out to build the paradise of his dreams which he could not find in the world around him. He purchased the tiny island of St. Rufus in 1953 and spent the next few years forcing it into the mold of a tropic paradise. He built streets and lined them with palms and trees bearing bananas and coconuts, and even planted a small field of pineapple that he tended by himself. On top of this, he imported crates of parrots and toucans and monkeys and lizards, and set them loose to populate his island. Along the beach he built a grand resort, and in 1957, he renamed the island “Toucan Island,” and opened it for business. The resort soon became a favorite for Bramford’s friends in the oil business and a tourist hotspot, though it was not without its problems. The wildlife have a habit of bothering guests, begging for scraps at the best of times and assaulting them, their children, and pets at the worst. Because of this, Bramford has been in a long battle with Texas Parks & Wildlife to see the resort shut down and the swarms of invasive species captured and quelled. So far these efforts have luckily proven unsuccessful.

Practicalities:

Toucan Island is easily reached via a small ferry that departs twice a day from Rockport. Over the past few years, the resort has been in a steady process of modernization, with some of its dated furniture and carpets being replaced and Wi-Fi being installed throughout the resort. The resort has its own private beach and saltwater pools, a spa, a nine-hole golf course, a marina where boats can be rented, and hosts fishing excursions as well as nightly luaus featuring The Howdy Partner Fire Dancers. Besides the resort restaurant, there are a number of small boutique eateries on the island to choose from.

Update:

Hurricane Harvey in 2017 completely demolished the resort and most of the island’s infrastructure. What remains is a bait shop/grill/gas station that serves half-decent fish and chips, a few houses, and some remaining, feral iguanas. The ferry now runs three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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