Growing up in San Antonio, my family frequently traveled to Rockport for the weekend. We would fish at night and go sightseeing by day. As a child I was always fascinated by the area and I grew so did this curiosity.
Four years ago I read in the Rockport Pilot's Visitor Guide that this book existed. That very day I was dragging my wife around looking for it, finally found it at the Art Museum by the beach. The entire weekend was spent skimming and reading this wonderful book. Since I have got the book I have read and re-read it many many times.
Today I enjoy visiting Rockport as often as I can. While driving around I try to picture what it was like at the turn of the century when the Aransas Hotel was still stood and the Baily Pavillion was THE place to be. Who would have thought that the little towns of Rockport and Fulton would have such a deep history?

I have been visiting the Gulf Coast/Aransas Pass area for 9 years now. Every time I go I am intrigued by everything I see. The history that resides there is amazing. I stay at a house on Fulton Beach Road that is filled with history. It has been in my friends family for over one hundred years. The house is actually mentioned in the book. This book is an amazing look at an amazing time in an amazing place. If you are interested in the history of the Texas Coastal Bend then this the book for you.

Thanks, John Conner San Jose, CA

As a resident of Rockport, in Aransas Co., Texas, but not a native, I was interested in the history of this part of the state. When Sue Taylor and Bill Allen's book, ARANSAS, A Tale of a Texas Coastal County, was published, I was among many who lined up for Sue's signature on my copy.

It was a thick book, I put it aside until I had time to go through it. I've just had 10 days off, and that was among my reading activities.

I assumed it would be historical; so I did not anticipate reading it as I do some novels. But I started. To my surprise, it caught my attention and imagination right away.

Also, to my surprise, I lingered over the words because they painted pictures I wanted to enjoy. I took much longer to read this book, because I was captivated by the words themselves.

The story moved along like an adventure tale, which the history of Texas actually is. It was dangerous, scary, wild, and took courageous and foolhardy men and women to survive. Texas had citizens with those characteristics on both sides of the Rio Grande.

The saga of many real families unfolded. Reading ARANSAS was like looking at a photograph album of one's grandparents--or great-grandparents. You never met them, but through this book you do know them. They became real people, with real personalities.

I did not know of the participation of Aransas County in both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. It was a port to be conquered by the "other" side in both wars--a strategic military outpost. Other history books refer to the importance of Copano Bay.

Throughout the book the authors give geographic locations of homes or stores or hotels or fishing or cattle wharfs. In the back the references are detailed. We can still visit these places. That's my next goal--to find where history happened, and is still going on.

Frances Mayo

a book with depth I find in this book so many attributes of preservation of more than just wildlife. The book tells a great story of a man's dream, a kid's growth, and about how a bird brought them together. The man was real and was influential in bringing a lot of publicity to a beautiful place and a beautiful bird where I grew up as this man's son. this is a fitting tribute to him and all he cared about, before his time was up as it's caretaker. Especially when he never asked for the credit, or prestige for himself for what he considered a privilege and part of his job as a human on this planet.