Putting the Pieces Together

Today is the big day!!! I'm just putting the finishing touches on my site and I'm pretty satisfied with the way it is turning out. It seems as if every article, every interview, every book page was made to come together for this project, and was made for me to learn about. I'm not going to lie, it has been a lot of work. I think the hardest part was picking the right information to put on my site, and figuring out which events during this time period were the most relevant to Corpus Christi residents. I think the best part of my project is being able to uncover how people truly felt while the U.S. was at war, and how grateful they are that they did not have to sacrifice as much as the European nations did. It makes me a whole lot more grateful for the blessings I have now.

1919 Storm

So as I was leaving The Lexington with my mom I spotted this historical marker and totally made my mom pull over. I had never realized how many historical markers Corpus really had until this project. Now whenever I'm driving I can't help but notice them, which is pretty crazy considering they have always been there but I never noticed them before. Anyways, this historical marker talked about the hurricane that hit Corpus Christi at 9:45 AM on Sunday, September 14, 1919. I was pretty shocked when I read that the people of the city did not have much time to prepare for the storm because they were notified just hours before it hit. The wind from the storm itself wasn't really caused over $20 million of damage but more the tidal waves the storm produced. 300 to 400 houses were destroyed, and 357 people died in Corpus Christi due to the storm The legacy this storm left on the city was the sea wall, before there was no barrier protecting the city from the sea, and we can thank the people who lived through this storm for the wall that now protects us from being swallowed by the ocean when a storm approaches.

The Lexington!!!

I was really surprised to discover that The Lexington was not counted as historical marker in Corpus Christi. I think this is due to the fact that it was converted into a museum, but either way it counts as a historical marker in my book. I chose to take a selfie with The Lexington because it is directly related to WWII which happens to be my topic for the local history project. The Lexington was actually built during WWII, and was mostly used during the Pacific War but was then later decommissioned and donated to the city of Corpus Christi as a museum ship. I thought it was funny how the Japanese used to call The Lexington "the blue ghost" because they thought they had destroyed the ship several times, especially because as I child I remember going on field trips and being terrified because of the several ghost stories my peers had shared with me about the ship. Although my topic is more geared towards the homefront in Corpus Christi during WWII it was nice to see how the U.S. government was utilizing all the materials they were receiving through rationing to defend their country. I think seeing The Lexington here in Corpus probably warms the hearts of the people who lived here during WWII because it probably reminds them of a time when the U.S. was really united, and maybe even of any loved ones they may have lost.

Today I visited the Central Library's Local History section in order to research my topic on the Corpus Christi home-front during WWII. What I found was that there were many various committees and organizations during this time that devoted themselves to gathering materials and selling bonds in order to help the United States' war effort. Among them were the tire rationing board, the scrap metal committee, bond committee and etc.. I found information about all these committees through  different articles in the Caller Times located in the library's vertical files. The conclusion I drew from just these articles that was for the most part the people of Corpus Christi were very supportive of the war effort, and they did anything they could to provide the materials necessary for the U.S.'s army. I think the greatest takeaway from this research I did today was that the people of Corpus Christi, much like the rest of the people in the U.S., were very patriotic during WWII , and were willing to make sacrifices for what they thought would benefit their country in a time of great despair.

Buc Days

I wish I had more to share on this topic but the truth is I really don't. When I asked my mom and dad about this they gave me a very vague answer that made me realize that the Buc Days has never really played a big part in my life. My parents told me they never went to the carnival because it didn't attract them but they did tell me that they knew it was usually a huge main attraction for many of their friends. Personally I have never attended the parade but I have gone to the carnival which was a big different than most carnivals because there was many distinct touches that made it unique to Corpus Christi. And although I have never really experienced the full on impact of Buc Days on Corpus Christi I can tell that it is an event that allows the community to come together and forget about their daily troubles and just have fun with their families and neighbors.