Table Of ContentCAT ISLAND
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C I
AT SLAND
The History of a Mississippi
Gulf Coast Barrier Island
John Cuevas
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
All photographs and illustrations are from the
author’s collection unless otherwise noted.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Cuevas, John, ¡942–
Cat Island : the history of a Mississippi
Gulf Coast barrier island / John Cuevas.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-6328-2
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. Cat Island (Miss.)—History.
2. Cat Island (Miss.)—Biography
3. Cuevas family.
I. Title.
F347.H3C84 2011 976.2'13—dc22 2011010652
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2011John Cuevas. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: raccoon © 2011Shutterstock;
Cat Island, view of South Bayou from dunes, 2005
(photograph by Bruce Richards and Tom Warner)
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Acknowledgments
After so many years it would be impossible to list everyone who has contributed to
this book, but there are those who deserve my special recognition. First I should acknowledge
my grandmother, Catherine Garriga Cuevas, who planted the seeds that grew into a lifelong
passion. This book might have never been a reality without her early stories. I also credit
my father, Oliver John Cuevas, for making the most valuable contribution of all. He intro-
duced me to a generation of relatives and friends, most who, like himself, had been born
in the 1800s. For me he was like a bridge between two centuries. Even at my young age I
recognized how fortunate I was to have known those warm and wonderful old families. I
cherish the memories of our visits with them, many who were still living in the backwoods
of the coast in the 1940s and early 1950s in much the same way my ancestors had lived for
generations. We spent many evenings sitting on their porches and listening to their stories
of the past.
My uncle Franklin J. Cuevas was also a great inspiration. At the age of 88, he wrote
his own book about Cat Island, and with tireless enthusiasm marketed what became a great
success for him. Even today there are requests for copies of his self-published work. I was
fortunate to have inherited his copious notes and research materials.
I would especially like to acknowledge my cousin, Judy McFerren, for her entertaining
interpretation of the Juan de Cuevas legend and pirates’ capture. Her talent as a published
writer enriched these pages.
Mia D. Burke, a newly discovered cousin, became my first editor after our meeting at
the jazz funeral in New Orleans for our relative Jean Baptiste Baudrau II. When I learned
of Mia’s talent as a writer and editor, I felt as though destiny had brought us together. She
was also working on a book about the family, and while she was extremely busy, she always
found time for me. I appreciated her excellent suggestions and quick responses as I worked
my way through my initial manuscript.
I am particularly humbled and thrilled by the contribution of my son, Dr. Bryan J.
Cuevas, a respected academic whose books and articles are recognized throughout the world.
Bryan’s wise comments and suggestions added the final touches to my manuscript.
Finally, I give big hugs and kisses to my wife, Janice, of 46 years, who patiently listened
to my tales of Cat Island for most of those years.
Thanks to all.
v
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Contents
Acknowledgments v
Preface ix
1. About Cat Island 1
2. The French Discover Cat Island and Settle Biloxi 8
3. The Fort on Cat Island 13
4. The First Mutiny on American Soil 15
5. Jean Lafitte, the Pirates, and Buried Treasure 22
6. The Hero of Cat Island 33
7. Juan de Cuevas Captures the Pirates 42
8. A British Soldier Visits Cat Island After the War 45
9. The Cuevas House on Cat Island 50
10. Pioneer Life on Cat Island and the Developing Coast 58
11. The Seminole Indians on Cat Island 79
12. The Last Great Party on Cat Island 85
13. The Funeral of Juan de Cuevas 90
14. How the Truth Became a Legend 97
15. The Lighthouses on Cat Island 106
16. Turpentining and the Lumber Industry on Cat Island 115
17. Al Capone and the Rumrunners 120
18. The Goose Point Tarpon Club 124
19. The Secret War Dogs of Cat Island 129
20. Cat Island Owners from the Past to the Present 138
21. A Visit to the Cuevas Homestead in Spain 157
Notes 163
Bibliography 179
Index 185
vii
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Preface
Cat Island is unique in coast history. It was the site of the first mutiny on American
soil. Jean Lafitte and his pirates stashed their stolen treasure there. The largest foreign
military force to ever attack the United States mainland used it as a staging area. Juan de
Cuevas reportedly fired the first shots against the invading British in the Battle of New
Orleans there. It had one of the first lighthouses on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It served
as an encampment site for Seminole Indians being moved to the reservation in Oklahoma
as part of the Trail of Tears. Rumrunners and bootleggers hid their illegal booze there in
the 1920s. It was a secret military site of the U.S. government during World War II to train
a special canine force to sniff out and attack the Japanese enemy. It served as rich grazing
land for hundreds of cattle for several generations. And it provided a natural forest for a
very successful business in turpentine and heart pine lumber.
While any one of these events would have been enough to assure Cat Island a place in
the history books, there is one additional fact that makes the island even more distinctive.
Cat Island is the only one of the barrier islands that was owned from the beginning by one
family, the Cuevas family, not as an investment or a weekend retreat, but as their permanent
home for over three generations. Juan de Cuevas, who was referred to as “The King of Cat
Island,” received the island by way of a Spanish grant, and was the only island owner in
history to call Cat Island his home and to actually raise his family there—my family.
I was very young when I first visited the Cuevas family home site on Cat Island. I have
never seen the water so emerald green as it was that day. I remember there was a warm sum-
mer breeze dancing across the waves welcoming me ashore as their foamy caps rolled onto
the powder- white sand. The golden sun languished in a sky of perfect blue. Seagulls
squawked and circled, then dove for the fish that glided just beneath the surface of the Gulf.
As I ran barefoot along the shore I felt as though I had been there before. I was struck with
a feeling of déjà vu, one of those sudden flashes of remembered present, normally only a
fleeting sensation, but this time a feeling that has lasted forever. I could actually sense the
weight of history as I stood where my great-great-great-grandfather’s house once stood.
Over the years I have seen the island’s many moods, from stormy to serene, but it is the
beauty of the island on my first visit that I still carry with me today.
Like the original Cuevas children, I played on the beaches, explored the lagoons, and
fished in the warm waters of the Gulf. I also played in the old Cat Island lighthouse, or
rather what remained of it. In the 1950s it was nothing more than a wooden shell perched
on top of rusted pilings, looking much like a birdhouse on steroids. The lighthouse was an
ix
