There are several books which can provide you with some insight into the area if you have not previously visited our Island. The book images are linked to amazon.com
I recommend you consider James Michener's "Chesapeake". It is an interesting
study of the Eastern Shore's people and the land and water that make up our
home. It shows how the descendents of the original settlers evolved into the
current residents. Mr. Michener lived in the Cambridge area while researching
and writing this book however his description of the people and the area could
have been interchanged with any of the towns on the Eastern Shore.
Marguerite
Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague" is the book that brought Chincoteague and the
ponies to national prominence. It is an excellent story about the interaction of
Island children with their environment, the Island, its people and the ponies.
This is a wonderful book for children.
The
Seashore Chronicles is a collection of the writings of novelists, naturalists,
journalists and outdoorsmen from 1650 to the present. It contains a wealth of
information about the history and the people of the barrier islands of
Virginia.
"The Hidden Galleon" by John Amrhein Jr. discusses the Spanish galleon La Galga and why he believes it carried the ponies who's descendents
now
populate Assateague Island. He discusses the great storm of 1749 which decimated
all livestock on the Island and how the "Beach" ponies appeared shortly after
the demise of the La Galga in 1750. While the evidence he presents is not absolutely
conclusive the circumstances presented are very
powerful. This image is linked
to the Hidden Galleon website which contains a great deal of information on the
history of the La Galga, Assateague Island and ponies.
UPDATE
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In an Email to Captain Dan, image on the left, Mr. John Amrhein describes the
difficulty he is having obtaining a permit to conduct a non-intrusive
magnetometer survey of the suspected La Galga wreck site. According to John a
request was filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to map, verify and
document the
site in February, 2008 . The site is on
Assateague Island and within the bounds of the Chincoteague National Wildlife
Refuge. They have refused to deny or grant the permit for the last two years.
The Email image is linked to an article giving a timeline and John's efforts to
have the site verified, evaluated and if appropriate nominated to the National
Registry of Historic places
In
"Starting at Sea level" Terry Noble recalls his and his brother's childhood on
Maryland's bay side of the Eastern Shore. While not about Chincoteague
specifically his childhood experiences are typical of the region. Mr. Noble's
father was a Maryland Marine Resources' policeman. Mr. Noble describes the
life of a Marine policeman and the problems encountered on the Chesapeake Bay's
Maryland, Virginia line. His father was eventually wounded while
patrolling above the line. Because of the resulting disability he was terminated
from the service. The conflicts both
on the bay and the seaside can be put into
perspective by reading the Oyster Wars section of Mr. Michener's "Chesapeake"
The
"Chincoteague Summer of 1948" is a series of recollections narrated to Ed
Waterhouse by Thurston Watson, a Chincoteague native and lifelong waterman. Mr.
Watson narrated his recollections while in the Parksley Nursing Home and died
before they could be completed. The book is comprised of his reminiscences from
his childhood during the summer of 1948. His tendency to exaggerate and create a
fanciful tale now and then becomes apparent as you read through the chapters. It
is none the less a good
characterization of childhood life on the Island.
Some of the matter covered in this book is mature in nature and as such I don't
recommend it for children.
If "Starting at Sea Level", "Misty" and "Chincoteague Summer of 1948" are combined you will be left with a realistic understanding of the freedom children of the shore had during this period to explore and develop.
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"Lilly
on Dolphins" was written by Dr. John Lilly about his research on the Atlantic
Bottlenose Dolphin. You should
know some of his work is controversial. His work with isolation chambers, LSD-25
and "Vitamin K" was the basis for the movie "Altered States". The scene in "A
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" where the dolphins are leaving earth singing
"Thanks for the Fish" was a reference to Dr. Lilly's thoughts about dolphin
intelligence. Also the film "Day of the Dolphin" was in part based on his
attempts to establish interspecies communications. I found the section about Ms.
Margaret Howe's experimental living, under his direction, with Pam and Peter
Dolphin to be very interesting. Reading this book might cause you to consider
the dolphin we sometimes see on our trips in a little different light. The
book seems to be out of print however it is available used, at Amazon.com
If
you are interested in the history of the United States Park Service on
Assateague Island, "Assateague Island National Seashore an Administrative
History" makes a fascinating read. It describes how the Island came to be
included as part of the National Park System and how the property in Maryland was
acquired. The formation of the "Chincoteague - Assateague Bridge and Beach
Authority" and the subsequent purchase of its interest are detailed. The interagency rivalry between the Park
Service and Refuge management after the purchase is explained. Bear in mind the
document was written by the Park Service so the rivalry description could be one
sided. It also details how the Park
Service gained title to the ponies on the Maryland section of the Island. The
enabling legislation and the "FWS - NPS Memorandum of Understanding" are
included. The image to the right is linked directly to the document.
All photographs not otherwise credited were taken by Captain Ray. All were taken on tours around the Island except the cormorants basking in the sun (taken on the interior of Assateague Island), heron standing and heron silhouetted in the sun. The picture of the eagle sitting in the tree on the Island was taken by Ms. Helena Jones on one of our tours and is used by permission. The photograph of the pelicans were taken by Mr. Otto Pehle and is used by permission. The photograph of the 1930 pony swim is a photograph of a photograph in August 17th, 1930 edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch and was seen hanging on the wall in a "Aunt Sarah's Pancake House" in Richmond Virginia. The Wallops Island eagle photographs were taken on Wallops Island. Photographs taken by Captain Ray prior to 10/01/2008 were copied from 35mm film. Those taken after 10/1/2008 by Captain Ray were taken with a Canon Rebel XSI with a 75-300mm lens.
Captain Ray grants permission to anyone who wishes to use any photograph which he has taken, the good, the bad and the ugly permission to do so for any noncommercial purpose.
