One of over 200 historical markers on the island, this marker highlights a Karankawa Campsite in the city of Jamaica Beach. The marker was erected in 1966 by the Texas Historical Commission.
Inscribed
“In this area is one of several known Karankawa campsites or burial grounds. Now extinct, the nomadic Indians lived along the Texas coast, depending on the Gulf for survival. In 1528 they aided Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca, but resisted all intruders from the time of the French expedition of La Salle in 1685. The tribe later declined because of disease and warfare with pirates and Anglo-American settlers. Known for tall tribesmen and alleged practices of ceremonial cannibalism, they had virtually disappeared from Texas by the 1840’s. This campsite was discovered in 1962.”
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